


But Who Was It For Anyways

by DumpsterDiving101



Series: But Love Is Overrated Anyways Series [2]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: AU, Angst, Angst and Fluff, Book 2, Classism, Cold, Dark, Dystopia, Dystopian, F/F, F/M, Fighting, Fire, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Future, Hot, Ice, It’s a very good story, M/M, Mutants, Original City, Other, Racism, Rome - Freeform, Science Fiction, Sequel, Series, Slurs, Superpowers, Sword Fighting, arena fighting, but love is overrated anyways, but without the swords, classism but without the classes, colosseum, crowbar - Freeform, in my completely unbiased opinion, is anyone else sensing a trend?, original powers, original slurs, powers, racism but without the races, roman - Freeform, roman inspired city, world-building
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-03-19 05:31:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 48,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13697862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DumpsterDiving101/pseuds/DumpsterDiving101
Summary: Sequel to "But Love Is Overrated Anyways".





	1. The M.M.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the last book, I had a lot of fun writing it. I've already really enjoyed writing this one, and even though it is a bit different, I hope you enjoy it regardless! Please leave a comment with your thoughts, and I do respond to all questions in the comments, so if you ever want to discuss anything in the book, let me know and I’d be happy to!
> 
> This book will be updated most Mondays and Thursdays, but since it will be going on into May, there will likely be a few weeks where that doesn't happen. Either way I highly suggest clicking the subscribe button so you are notified when I update.
> 
> I also write phanfiction on my Tumblr @DansPHLevels, where requests are open! Now, on with the book!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The camp had strict rules, rules that were put in place to protect them. No one made a big decision that would affect the others without speaking to the council or getting direct instructions from PJ or Jordan, but even that was in very specific situations. Dan knew what he was doing; he’d made his choice.
> 
> Rapidly getting closer, Phil called out to him through the snow, “Stop!”
> 
> Dan took one last look. Then he raised his hand and a wall of ice raised from the ground, thickening with every second. Then he turned to the forest, Phil’s image burned into his mind.
> 
> Phil was so, so warm, and made Dan feel things he’d never felt before, and  
> now Dan knew exactly what that feeling was called.
> 
> Love.
> 
> But love was overrated anyways.

_They were curled up together, with Dan’s head on Phil’s chest and Phil’s hand in Dan’s hair. "I need you to be careful, okay?" Phil said, his voice a little deeper from tiredness. "Otherwise, someday you’re going to get yourself in trouble ."_

_Dan just smiled._

——————-

 

**6 Months Later**

 

Outside, Dan could hear the crowd chanting. He carefully walked forwards, grasping the crossed metal bars and peering outside. The entire colosseum roared with anticipation, everyone hungry for a show.

"They’re all waiting for you," Jimmy reminded him, leaning against the wall casually. "Get ready. You’re on in thirty seconds."

Dan nodded curtly, running a hand through his curls. His sides had been cut short and his hair on top allowed to grow a little longer and curlier. He adjusted his fitted black shirt, well aware of the way the short sleeves clung to his arms, the way the neckline was just low enough to catch a glimpse of his collarbones in the front and to see edges of ink creeping up the back of his neck. In his ears were black circular earrings. Around his right wrist was a tightly wrapped black material like a paper bandage, or in his former life, athletic tape. Anyone who saw the taped wrist would know right away that he was a mutant.

He looked back to Jimmy. After a quick up and down, Jimmy nodded. "You’re ready."

Outside, he heard the audience cheer as the announcement was made. "Now introducing, the fight of the hour: The Muscle Man Vs. The Ice Prince!"

Dan turned back to Jimmy. "This won’t be hard. Anyone named The Muscle Man can't be very smart."

"Yeah, well don’t get too cocky. I have good money riding on you, I need you to stay alive a bit longer."

Dan snorted without humor, turning back to the gate.

"Hey." Jimmy tossed him the crowbar and Dan caught it easily, the sleek black metal feeling completely normal in his hand. Dan turned back and stood taller as the gate swung open.  
  
He strode out, trying to drown out the screaming of the crowd and focus on his opponent, who entered from the opposite side of the arena. Arena wasn’t quite the right word; it truly was a colosseum.

In every sense of the word.

'The Muscle Man' wasn’t very muscular. As he came closer, Dan observed him quickly. He was taller than Dan, who was already tall, and looked like a basketball player who’d relied too heavily on steroids. Dan could make out every muscle in both of his arms, both of which were completely bare, save for the black tape around his right forearm.

A bell rang, and immediately the man barreled for Dan, baring his teeth, yelling, the whole nine yards. Dan sped up to a jog, working his powers without even having to think about it.

He jumped to the side as Mr.Muscle's foot hit a patch of ice and he slipped, rolling a few feet. Dan slowed, hiding a smile as the crowd stomped in approval.

The Muscle Man scrambled to his feet, cracking his knuckles. If Dan wanted to, he could have killed him right there, sent a bolt of ice to his brain and it’d all be over. But he wasn’t there to act as an executioner; he was there to entertain.

The Muscle Man stormed towards him and brought his fists together, swiping at him. Dan ducked, rolling to the side and landing on his feet, swinging his crowbar at his back. It made contact and his opponent fell forwards, more angry than hurt. Dan wiped the blood off of his crowbar and onto his shirt.

His opponent backed up, standing straight. He made eye contact with Dan. "You want to know why they call me The Muscle Man?"

"Because you look like a tumor?" Dan called back.

"No, because the brain is a muscle too!"

The ground beneath Dan’s feet crumbled and he fell through, just barely catching onto the side before he could fall to his death, swinging from the force. "What the fuck!"

The Muscle Man grinned, going over to retrieve Dan’s crowbar as Dan struggled to climb out of the hole. He had to give the new guy credit, it was a good trick. He’d fallen for it. But it would only work once.

He clawed onto his elbows, slowly pulling his torso out of the pit as The Muscle Man came back around, raising Dan's crowbar over him, looking to the audience. "What do you think? Should I kill him?!"  
  
The audience roared in approval. They were separated from the fight by a thin fence that they grabbed onto, shaking and calling for blood.

He looked down at Dan, and just as he swung screamed in pain as thick frost traveled up his arms, solidifying over them. Dan finally hauled himself back on stage, much to the delight of the audience, and rolled to the side as another hole opened up underneath him. His opponent roared, breaking through the ice and stampeding towards him, but Dan was faster. He sprinted towards the edges of the arena, making ice shoot out across the floor as he ran across it, but it only caused The Muscle Man to stumble. A hole opened in the floor in front of Dan and he barely had time to close it with ice before he was leaping across it.

"Stop running, coward!"

Dan scowled as another hole opened up, just dodging it. He ran along the edge of the arena, leaping over a few holes as they opened up in his wake, the Muscle Man's accuracy faltering as he became angrier. Dan circled around, running to the middle of the Colosseum before slowing to a stop, looking to the audience. "What do you think? Am I a coward?"

They screamed in response, neither disagreeing nor agreeing, just encouraging the fight. Dan turned just in time to see the man hurl Dan’s crowbar at him, it hurtling towards him at about 50 miles per hour. Dan didn’t blink as a chunk of ice formed in front of him, encasing the bar a second before it hit him, the audience applauding wildly.

"You see, I don’t think I’m a coward!" Dan called out to his opponent, who’d gone red in the face. The Muscle Man stalked towards him as Dan stepped to the side. He grabbed the end of the crowbar from the chunk of ice, and screamed, yanking it upwards and out. Dan tried to maintain his easy expression and not show his shock. He raised his hands towards him, willing frost to grow up his legs, but his opponent just ripped through it. So Dan tried a different approach, forming a ball of white hot cold and hurtling it directly at his face.

The Muscle Man screamed in agony at it made contact, causing him to stumble back and fall. Dan walked to him leisurely, allowing himself a small smile as the man clutched his face, hiding it from view. Frost slowly grew over him, covering his entire body in a deadly blanket that froze his muscles and turned his blood cold.

Dan pulled his crowbar out from his grip and roughly kicked him over, making him roll over to his back, still gripping his nose. Dan swung the crowbar, aiming not for his face, but to his lower stomach. The man let out another shout and cupped his stomach, giving everyone the perfect view of his black and purple frostbitten nose.

Ice covered over his torso, keeping his arms down. Dan strode over triumphantly, putting on foot on top of him and raising his arms in victory as the audience went wild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, if you read the chapter, comment! It's really important to me to know what you think of the new book and all the changes that have taken place!


	2. The Lame Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: There is a Youtuber named Jimmy that appears in some other fanfics, however, this Jimmy is an original character. Feel free to imagine that Jimmy if you want to, but know that they aren't intended to be the same person.

Dan had two matches that day. After the second was finished he found himself grinning at Jimmy as the gate closed behind him, tossing him the crowbar.

"Nice job," he complimented without emotion. "Go to the bathroom and clean up a bit, then we’ll go."

Dan went to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He’d gotten a bad cut on the side of his forehead, almost in his hairline, that was still bleeding but besides that, his injuries were fairly minimal. Some small cuts and decently sized bruises, most of which he’d find later, but altogether nothing bad. His entire body was shaking from the exertion, but then again it always did that after a match. He washed away the blood and caught his own gaze in the mirror. Dark brown eyes stared back at him questioningly. Dan quickly splashed water on his face, avoiding the mirror as he wiped off his face, going out to meet with Jimmy. "I’m ready, Jimmy."

He nodded, walking with Dan out of the room and through the hallways underneath the Colosseum. They exited out into the sunlight, some people talking excitedly as they saw Dan, whispers of "oh my God" and "the Ice Prince!" filling the air. Dan and Jimmy ignored them, walking together away from the huge arena. The city, called Alexandria, was huge, bigger than most of the others Dan had seen and been in, and more modern. Well, maybe not modern. It was very Roman-inspired, at least in spirit, and was able to be large and impressive without having any of the technology that was had before the war. One of the issues that came with having small localized governments that interacted with each other as little as possible was that things like electricity weren’t extremely possible anymore. If you needed to go somewhere, you walked, or if you were rich you might be able to get ahold of a horse, but it wasn’t likely. Dan had seen horses perhaps a dozen times since he’d been in Alexandria, usually with open backed chariots attached to them. When one came trotting down the street, everyone parted for them, making them a path. It could have been out of courtesy, but Dan knew better. These people who watched mutant fights for fun moved out of the way so they wouldn’t be trampled, nothing more.

"Poker night tonight," Jimmy orated as they walked. Dan tried to keep upright, his brain muddled with sweat from the intense fighting.

“Oh yeah?” Dan asked. “The cool friends or the lame ones?”

“The important ones.”

“You mean the lame ones.”

“Hey, put on a smile and play cute, we’re in the business of niceties.”

Jimmy opened the gate, waiting for Dan to pass through before closing it behind them. “I’ll play cute,” Dan threatened. “I’ll be so cute they’ll be frozen in adoration.”

Jimmy turned to look at him. He had light brown hair that wasn’t quite curly, but was always messy in a sort of formal ‘I just got out of bed’ way. His sides, like Dan’s, were cut short, something he did himself regularly and insisted on doing for Dan. “It cleans up your edges a bit,” he’d say as he held Dan’s head to the side, the barber’s knife worryingly close to his ear.

Jimmy, like Dan, had never shaven his face a day in his life, and if he were to try, there would be nothing for him to shave. He had big hazel eyes and rather plump lips and was lean and lithe, the body of a runner, but a little too agile, and a little too natural. He was just about eye level with Dan but had the type of personality that made him seem taller. Altogether, he was definitely physically attractive, though he didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“Listen,” he said, bringing Dan back to reality. “We could both do with a leg up in this city. These people can help us. Now stop whining, it’s not like you’re new to the idea.”

Dan bit his lip as the ascended the stairs, holding in another comeback. That was the problem with Jimmy; he was always annoyingly right.

—————————

Dan immediately collapsed on his bed, ready to pass out for the next week.

“Shower first, then sleep,” Jimmy ordered, walking past his room.

“Fuck you.” Dan sighed, wanting nothing more than to just sleep. But, after a moment, he managed to drag himself up and into the shower. Room temperature water, as always, but still running water. They used some kind of aqueduct system, that Dan still didn’t understand, but it made running water possible, which was really good considering they were on the second floor and would otherwise have to go on a hike every time they needed to use the toilet.

Dan tried to shower quickly, getting all of the sweat and grime of the day off and down the drain. Showers were quicker, but Dan missed bathing in rivers. A cool, still river that he could float in, staring up at the stars. Or, if he wanted, he could swim a little closer to Phil where the water was warmer, heat always radiating off of Phil’s body like the warmth from a hearth.

Dan leaned against the wall of the shower, squeezing his eyes shut. Even after all the time that had passed, the memory of Phil was still painful.

Dan rushed to finish up, then collapsed on his bed, wrapped in nothing but a towel, but his door was closed and hopefully Jimmy wouldn’t come on without warning. Or maybe Dan should hope that he would. It might speed up the process of getting over Phil, anyway.

————-

“But why can’t I play? I’m shit at poker anyway, if anything it’d be better for you guys.”

The others chuckled. They all sat on chairs around the small card table, while Dan sat on the stool beside it. There were only four people over, which made a game of five for poker including Jimmy. They dealt out the cards, and all of them had glasses full of different drinks. Dan played with the edge of his black taped wrist, the symbol that he was a mutant. He was the only one in the room with it.

“You know why you can’t play, boy,” one of the men said. “We don’t want any cheating.”

“Yeah?” Dan made himself smile playfully at the man, and hopefully, convincingly. “And just how would I cheat?”

“Mutant mind control,” one of the women chimed in, her dark hair braided over her shoulder. “This shouldn’t be a surprise to you, Princey.”

They all knew what his actual name was, but sometimes they liked calling him by his stage name, The Ice Prince. It still held power, Dan decided, still reminded them of who he was and what he could do. But in this case, that wasn’t a good thing.

“To my knowledge, only certain mutants have mind control powers,” Dan said, getting comfortable on his stool, no longer arguing for a chance to play. Jimmy said it was fine to be playful about it, but he never wanted to be annoying. “I knew this one girl who could actually go into your mind and see your memories, and then she was able to store them.”

“Yeah? And did she cheat at poker?”

Dan wrinkled his nose. “I didn’t ever play poker with her, but I bet if she wanted to she could’ve.”

“See? My point exactly. Boy, cool my drink a little bit, will you?”

Dan looked at the drink the man was referring to and imagined it slowly cool down until it was just the right temperature. Then he froze it solid.

The man grimaced as the others laughed at him, and he handed the cup to Dan. “Real funny. Get me a new one, and only make it a little bit cold this time, not frozen.”

Dan took the cup and sent a flirty smile his way before obediently going to the kitchen where a few drinks were kept. His smile dropped when he was out of view, and he took his time pouring the drink, listening in on the conversation.

“He’s a looker, and obedient too. If the fighting ring doesn’t work out for him, you should send him my way. There’s always room on my staff for pretty boys like him.”

“Ha, I’ll keep that in mind.” Jimmy’s voice. “But I don’t see the fighting ring not working out anytime soon. You’ve seen him fight. We’re going for the title this year, and I think he could get it too.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he could. Maybe if you get tired of handling him, I could take things over. Not that much to being a Handler.”

There most definitely was- Jimmy worked full time preparing Dan for the ring, getting him sponsors, and dealing with his shit- but he just laughed good-naturedly. “I’ll keep that in mind.”  
  
Dan picked up the glass and put on a smile, bringing it back into the room, the chill from his hands cooling it. “Is this good?”

The man took it and sipped it. “Perfect. And I’m going to raise.”

The others mumbled, going back to their game. Jimmy glanced over subtly, giving Dan a once over before nodding in approval.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you liked it! Updates every Monday and Thursday.


	3. Ezra

  
With a name like ‘The Ice Prince’ and a reputation to match, everyone knew what Dan’s power was. This made it all the more annoying when other mutants had names that gave nothing away, like the mutant he was currently in the ring with, a woman simply called ‘Ezra’. She had a long staff as her weapon- weapons were allowed, but nothing sharp or too deadly- and would have done well to hide her powers for the first few moves of the fight, like The Muscle Man had done the day before. But luckily for Dan- and unluckily for Dan- she used her powers on the first move.

The ground trembled underneath his feet and Dan ran forwards, willing thick ice to appear underneath him. It did, and Dan charged for Ezra when something ripped through the hard packed ground and struck him, sending him flying a few feet backwards and rolling. He got to his feet as another giant root like a snake rose from the ground, quickly slithering towards him. It was frozen in a chunk of ice that Dan leapt over, heading towards the root’s creator.

Ezra held her hands up, one holding her staff as she strained with the effort of using her powers. Dan had almost reached her, his crowbar drawn and ready for attack, when a root just barely emerged from the ground, making him fall and roll again.

Whenever you were tripped in the arena, you’d better know how to roll. Tripping was an easy thing to do with most offensive powers, and it was good for show. You needed to play around with your opponents for the first few minutes, short enough that the audience stayed interested, and only then did you go for the final strikes. The audience had to like you, and the audience hated a quick match.

Dan knelt, focusing on the ground around his opponent’s feet and trying to turn it to ice, but before he could another root tore through the ground. He rolled away, and the root swiped at where he’d been. Dan leapt forwards and swung his crowbar at Ezra, but she blocked the strike with her staff, eyes wide as she stepped backwards. Dan swung again, aiming low, but she caught it with her staff. He yanked back and the hook at the end of his weapon snagged onto the staff and it was torn from her hands and thrown backwards. Dan didn’t bother to see where.

He hit her leg, causing her to cry out and fall. The audience went mad. The round was just about over when something wrapped around Dan and yanked him backwards. There was no rolling, just hitting the ground and sliding back painfully. His vision was slightly blurred as he tried to get up, but something wrapped around his chest and slammed him to the ground. Dan writhed as more roots wrapped around his limbs, tying him down and pulling tighter. In the distance, he saw Ezra hobble towards him, the leg that he’d hit bleeding badly. She had retrieved her staff and was coming towards him for the final move, but all Dan could do was struggle against his binds, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. Then one more root emerged, slithering over his neck and impaling itself back into the dirt, tightening until Dan couldn’t breathe. He thrashed wildly, wanting to scream but completely unable to. His face was wet with tears and his lungs were about to burst.

_Not again, not again! I killed her, she was supposed to be dead!_

Dan heard the audience cheer as everything went black.

————

“Wake up Dan.”

Dan could hear voices and movement in the room. A familiar presence next to him. Dan opened his eyes, immediately squinting at the light. “What the fuck.”

“That’s my line. Dan, you lost.” Jimmy’s voice was full of betrayal, like Dan had lost just to spite him.

“I’m sorry,” Dan croaked. His throat was sore, and it hurt to talk. He found himself raising his hands to sign, but Jimmy slapped them away.

“You could have frozen her,” Jimmy accused. “Dan, you are completely capable of winning every single fight you’re in. Your powers are stronger than most everyone else’s, they don’t tire you-”

“They tire me,” Dan insisted, his voice still croaky.

“Not as much as the others! Dan, after that girl made her first roots she was ready to sit down. You could have turned the entire arena into an ice cube without breaking a sweat.”

“That’s an exaggeration.”

Jimmy lightly slapped him on the ear, making him whine. “You can’t let it get to your head. You have to focus on winning.”

Dan scowled, not looking at him. “I can win. I can do it. It’s just, the choking part… I don’t do well with suffocation. I had a full life before this place, Jimmy, and I’ve seen things-”

“Well maybe it’s time you forget about that. Because this is your life. You’re The Ice Prince now, and the only thing you should be worrying about is winning the title. Anything that holds you back from that, you need to forget.”

——————-

Since Dan lost the fight that morning, he had to spend the day training. Fighting in general was an extremely high intensity workout so he didn’t have to train that often, but if he had a day off or he lost a fight, Jimmy made him. There was a mutant training center a little less than a mile away that they walked to that had ways to grow your skill, athleticism, strength, and powers. Jimmy had him practice all of them, except for his powers. “I should make you practice them,” he said as they entered the facility, an open aired walked off area with pathways on the top of the walls for handlers to observe. “Especially since you decided not to use them in your fight today. But I think you’d do better improving your other skills instead.” It was both a relief and an annoyance. His powers wore him out, but at least he could control them.

Dan started at the weapons section, where he was helped by a girl with long reddish-brown hair in a ponytail and a black-taped wrist. Her powers were likely in something neither offensive or defensive, something that wouldn’t be good in the arena. But she could use the weapons, and they spared together for a while, Dan using his crowbar and her switching between weapons. She went from using another crowbar to using a bow and arrows, a rope, and then a staff like the one Ezra had had. The staff was the most powerful against the crowbar, but she showed Dan how best to hook it and disarm his opponent. The bow and arrows were the most difficult because Dan had to dodge them. Each time one of the blunt arrows hit him he wanted to cry out, but had to keep going. The trick to beating the arrows was to change the game from a long distance fight to a close contact. Arrows did the user no good in close contact fighting. If Dan got close enough, he could disarm them relatively easily.

By the end of that he was sweaty and badly bruised, but it was only the beginning. He was given a few minutes to catch his breath before going to the next station, where a trainer helped him lift weights and do various exercises including, but not limited to, push ups, pull ups, and sit ups. Ever since he’d started fighting, Dan had obtained the ability to do all three, but he was only actually good at sit ups.

He was on his way over to the agility station when he looked up at the observation deck on the wall surround the facility. Jimmy was talking and shaking hands with an older man nearby, and Jimmy had on his look like he was about to make a deal.

Jimmy caught Dan’s eye quickly, and subtly raised his eyebrows. Dan quickly looked away, continuing to walk right past the agility station. He set his water down by the powers station, watching the two follow him in his peripheral. A trainer came up to him and led him to an obstacle course, telling him to use his powers as he pleased and try not to die.

Dan stepped onto the first platform, where large blocks swung back and forth like pendulums. It would have been easier to just walk through them, but Dan could practically feel the eyes on them. Keeping his hands down, he looked at the pivots at the tops of them, freezing them solid as he jogged through easily. After he froze one, he had about seven seconds before the ice broke and it continued swinging.

After that was a pit, which Dan simply formed a layer of ice to get across. As he ran, he wondered how others found a way around it. He supposed Ezra could make roots grow across like tightropes, and The Muscle Man might be able to do some weird pit-magic, but someone like PJ, or Phil, whose powers were best suited for destruction? They wouldn’t have it so easy.

In the next part of the obstacle course, axes and spears were thrown across the center from both sides. One hit, and he could very well be dead.

Dan could feel the eyes on him and he brought his hands up. On either side of the walkway, huge walls of ice rose into the sky, like Moses parting the Red Sea. Axes and spears thudded against it, but it held. Dan sprinted through, the sounds of impact from all sides making him feel woozy, but he did his best to ignore them.

The next obstacle contained a bunch of dummies on carts barreling towards him. It was snowing, only above Dan, and he willed it to fall faster, swirling around until he was encased in a miniature blizzard. Then he released it and the dummies were all flung to the sides with such force some smashed against the nearby wall.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, even the mutants at the other stations. His chest rising and falling heavily, Dan ran to the last station, which he knew would be the worst.

A man stood before him, arms crossed, one of his wrists bound in tight black fabric tape, just like Dan’s. He was a retired fighter, or a mutant with offensive powers who chose not to fight for whatever reason. His arms remained crossed as plants sprouted from the floor, vines flying towards Dan like the roots had that morning. Dan dodged one, then made the snow intensify again, a blizzard forcing the other mutant backwards and flash freezing the plants.

Dan jumped off of the platform, his entire body shaking. “34.1 seconds!” A trainer called out. Dan looked up at the observation deck, where both   
Jimmy and the man were politely clapping.

———————

Jimmy let him off without doing agility training. When he came up to Dan, he was smiling widely. “You did good.” Dan was too tired to reply as Jimmy wrapped his arm around him, patting him on the back. If he was bothered by the cold, he didn’t mention it. “We got a new sponsor. You’re going to destroy at the Colosseum this year, I can feel it.”

They walked the mile home, which made Dan want to die more than usual, then Jimmy reminded him to shower before passing out. “You stink. And there’s a party tonight, so you’ll need to smell nice for any possible sponsors.”

“Oh yeah? How about instead, I send an ice sculpture in my place, so then they’re judging me on my actual powers and not on how I smell.”

Jimmy laughed at that, and if Dan didn’t know him better he’d think Jimmy was an easygoing, carefree person. “Can you? Make an ice sculpture I mean?”

Dan shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know, my powers don’t seem to like working for me. They prefer to work against me.”

“They weren’t working against you in training today.”

Dan shrugged. As per usual, Jimmy wasn’t wrong. “Can I take an ice bath today?” When Jimmy hesitated, he quickly added “otherwise I’ll look like a Dalmatian with my black and purple bruises.”

“Yeah, I suppose so. But shower first. I don’t want my bathtub getting all filthy.”  
  
A shower and a miniature snowstorm later, Dan was leaning his head back in the tub, snow filled up all the way to his chest. He was in Jimmy’s bathroom, which was notably better than his, though not by too much. It was Jimmy’s apartment, after all. It had a living room with big windows where they’d played poker the previous day, a small kitchen with a simple sink and near empty cupboards, and four bedrooms, two of which were empty. Jimmy usually had other mutants living with him who fought in the arena, and actually had two when Dan moved in, but they didn’t necessarily get along. In Jimmy’s words, Dan didn’t ‘play nice with others’, and they had low potential anyways, so Jimmy got them other handlers.

Dan probably wouldn’t be where he was without him. A lot of things could be said about Jimmy, but it couldn’t be said that he wasn’t committed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you enjoyed it or have any questions!


	4. Mr. Munn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra thanks to @insectbah for betaing for me!

“Such a pretty boy,” the man said. “And you fight in the arena?”

“That’s right. I have ice powers, and use a crowbar.” Dan was leaning in secretively, and the shirt Jimmy had suggested he wear was loose with a wide collar that currently dipped below his collarbones. Collarbones were basically the equivalent of what used to be a girl’s cleavage, back before the war. But in this city of Alexandria, they were all about things like collarbones, especially for young fighters. It made them seem more boyish, which the older men liked.

The man leaned closer. “Show me.”

Dan looked around, like someone might see. Then he opened his palm, making a little pile of snow appear in it. He also made a bigger pile of snow appear under the man’s feet, so when he leaned forwards more he struck his feet in them.

“What is- oh! That’s cold! You little trickster!” The man was smiling, and Dan giggled, biting his lip.

“I’d love for you to come see me perform some time,” he said quietly, dusting the snow off of his hands and onto the floor.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.” Dan nudged the man’s leg under the table, still leaning forwards on the table. “You could… cheer me on. Sponsor me.” Dan said the words like it meant something else.

The man was still smiling, loving the attention Dan was giving him. “Yeah, I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you.”

“I would.”

“There you are, Dan,” Jimmy said, coming up behind him like he hadn’t been watching the full thing. “Who’s your friend?”

Dan smiled up at Jimmy. “This is Mr. Munn. He wants to sponsor me. Mr. Munn, this is my handler-”

“James Marbury, but you can call me James. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” They shook hands, and for a moment Dan’s smile faltered, looking at both of their blank wrists. Sometimes he forgot that Jimmy was human, and that so were all of his sponsors. Things had changed a lot from the days that he took out entire cities of humans in penance for what they’d done to him. But then again, he’d never destroyed a city that accepted mutants, mostly because cities like that were few and far between. Alexandria was the best one he’d found so far, because not only did they accept mutants, they were the one city that never tried to make mutants hide. If you had a power, your wrist was taped in black to show that you did, and you could find work where you were able to use your powers. It wasn’t perfect, but it was the best option he had, and Dan was well aware of it. For once, his powers were nothing to be ashamed of.

There was one other time when Dan had been able to embrace his powers. But that wasn’t a city, it was a camp, and even then, even with the entire camp being made up of mutants, they were still ashamed.

“Why don’t you go get us some drinks?” Jimmy suggested to Dan, breaking his daze. He quickly smiled again, agreeing and telling them he hoped they liked their drinks cold.

He retrieved them, then excused himself to the bathroom. But before he could get there, he was stopped. “Well look at that. Is that The Ice Prince?”

The question was clearly directed at him, so Dan stopped. “That’s me.”

The speaker was a woman sitting on a couch with a few friends. “I saw your match today, and I have to say I wasn’t impressed.”

“Just wait, the next time I fight her she’s going down. I can’t win every time, that wouldn’t be fair to the others. I have to at least make them think they have a fighting chance.”

One of the other women nodded. “He’s right. He’s never lost to the same person twice, not since I’ve started watching at least. He’s very talented.”

“You should listen to your friend,” Dan agreed cockily. “You’ll be seeing me in the arena in a few weeks, standing at the top of the podium with laurels around my head.”

“Wow, you certainly are confident,” she said, framing it as a compliment. “I look forward to seeing more of your matches-”

“Oh, do you have tattoos?” The other woman interrupted, peering to see the back of Dan’s neck.

“Um, yeah.”

“I’d never noticed those before!”

“Turn around, turn around, let us see!”

Dan hesitantly obeyed, tilting his head forwards so the back of his neck, where the edges of the black ink creeped up, could be seen. He ended up taking his shirt off so they could see it in its entirety. The tattoo, which was actually made with a semi-permanent ink that could be more easily removed, had been suggested by Jimmy. It consisted of two black lines, each about an inch thick, that tapered into points at the ends. The lines ran along either side of his spine, with other lines forming from them, all carefully placed to emphasize his shoulder blades and waist. The women oohed and ahhed, and finally Dan managed to put his shirt back on and get all the way to the bathroom.

When he came out, he went back to Jimmy and Mr. Munn, who were just wrapping up. When Mr. Munn saw him coming up, he smiled. “Do you only take off your shirt for women, or do I get to see too?”

Dan laughed good-naturedly, trying not to cross his arms over his chest. “I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to see.”

———————

“You’re getting better at that,” Jimmy complimented as they entered the apartment. Jimmy held a lantern- it’d go out if Dan held it- and brought it over to the poker table, leaving it there. “Remember when I first had you search for sponsors on your own?”

Dan nodded, walking over to lean against the wall by the windows. “Yeah. This old guy touched me and I almost broke his arm.”

“And now you’re taking your shirts off for strangers and flirting,” Jimmy added. “You’ve made some big improvements.” He scratched his head, messing up his hair even more. He was older than Dan, so he couldn’t play the boy card as well, but if he had powers he could probably play the field like a fiddle. Jimmy was very, very driven, which in this scenario meant he was making Dan as successful as humanly possible. But if he wanted to sell himself in the same way, Dan knew he’d be a natural. He imagined Jimmy in one of his low cut shirts, showing off his collarbones and playing cute.

“By the way, I stripped your bed earlier to wash. If you want, you can sleep in one of the other rooms, you’ll just have to wash the sheets tomorrow.”

Dan looked up at him, the moonlight from outside illuminating his face. “You mind if I just bunk with you? Then I won’t have to wash the sheets.”

Jimmy hesitated for a moment, then relented. “Sure. Just… wear socks. You probably have chronically cold feet.”


	5. Pandy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to @insectbah for editing for me! Much appreciation

**1 Week Later**

They were both slightly drunk. It was only the evening, but festivities had started early that afternoon and left them stumbling up to their apartment, practically tripping over each other. “Come on, come on!” Jimmy urged Dan, pulling him up the stairs. Their hands were intertwined, as they had been for most of the run home.

They burst through the door, and Dan flopped on the couch, giggling. “I’m frickin’ zazzed.”

“Get up, lazy! Come on!” Jimmy was giggling too. Alcohol was a beautiful thing when consumed by the right people, and Jimmy was the perfect example. When he drank, his business facade was almost completely dropped and replaced by a more carefree, giggly version. Jimmy shoved him into a sitting position, complaining about the snow that he’d gotten on the couch. “Okay, let me show you. Okay, serious.”

“I’m serious,” Dan slurred. “Hi serious, I’m dad.”

Jimmy shoved him, laughing. “Now come on, I wanna show you the thing! Do the thing, like, pretend you’re an old guy who wants me to sleep with you.”

“Oh, I don’t have to act. I’m a creepy old guy 7/24.” Jimmy shoved him again, as playful as ever, and Dan tried to regain his composure. “Alright. Alright. Hey, you’re pretty.”

Dan’s voice was stupid and slurred, but Jimmy smiled like he was talking to someone he had a crush on. He tilted his head down, making his lips into a more pouty smile. “Hey, big boy.”

Dan broke into cackles, leaning back. “Oh my God, oh my God!”

“Do you want to do something? We could play chicken.” Jimmy offered, still in the overly sultry voice. He put his hand on Dan’s knee, pushing it up his leg. “Or… we could do something else.”

“Fucking hell, why am I the one flirting with sponsors? We should go back to the other plan: I make ice sculptures and you get sponsors.”

Jimmy threw his head back, laughing. “Did you ever try those things, you know, before shit went down? They were like, little ice chunks on an ice cream cone, and they tasted like raspberry and shit?”

“Snow cones!” Dan exclaimed excitedly.

“Yeah, those! You could make those! I flirt, you make ice cream!”

Dan clapped his hands excitedly, the rush of wine turning his face pink. “Let’s do it, let’s do it! You play the role of twink, and I’ll just chill.”

Jimmy cracked up at the pun, and after a few moments of Dan whining and asking him about it, explained it to him, which resulted in them both laughing even more. They were starting to calm down when Dan thought of something else and started snorting again. “What?”

“So, you know that guy.” Dan started, still full on ugly snorting.

“That guy,” Jimmy said, rolling his eyes. “Yeah yeah, the one you're obsessed with. Lester. The hot one.”

Dan giggled. “Phil Lester, the hot one,” Dan agreed. “As in, fire powers.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Imagine what it’d be like if I gave him a snow cone. It’d probably melt before he ever got to eat it!” The both giggled more, imagining it. “Ugh, I should’ve made him one when I had the chance.”

“Yeah? You don’t think you’ll ever see him again?”

Dan groaned. “I don’t know. It still… still hurts a bit.” He clutched his chest dramatically. “But I told you what happened. I killed that girl, who was a mutant and really creepy and shit. And that’s like, a big deal and stuff. You’re not supposed to kill other mutants.”

Jimmy considered this. “They sound like pussies.”

Dan snorted. “Sorta. Not really. Phil didn’t like it, me killing mutants, but he also didn’t like me killing humans so I don’t know what was up with all that. But the others… there was this girl, Manny-”

“Mandy,” Jimmy corrected, smiling fondly.

“Yeah yeah, fucking Pandy. Anyways, I once was surrounded by these three humans, right? It was in this town that was like… still in the dark ages. Not like this, at all.” Jimmy nodded, still grinning stupidly as he waited for him to go on. “So I saw this crowbar and like, killed them. And Mandy came up and saw it and was like…” he jumped, overdramatizing her surprise. “‘Dan! You killed them!’ And I’m like, shit, really? I had no idea.”

Jimmy giggled, leaning back against the couch. “That’s really funny.”

“Yeah,” Dan grinned. “And we both had to keep it a secret from Phil, cause you know he’d be pissed.”

“He’d yell at you?”

“Nah, he’d probably give me the silent treatment.” Dan smiled fondly. “He drove me absolutely nuts. But then again, I kinda sucked, so there was that too.”

“I bet you suck a lot better now,” Jimmy commented casually. “After all that practice you’ve had sucking up.”

Dan laughed, nodding in agreement. “I’d be a better kisser too, after all the kissing ass I’ve been doing.”

Jimmy nodded, a little longer than he would’ve sober. “But it’s not you’d see him again anyways? Cause you were kicked out?”

“I was going to be kicked out,” Dan slurred. “I betrayed them, lied about my powers, killed that mutant when they told me not to, yada yada. Shit was rough. But yeah, probably not.” He wrinkled his nose, the idea tasted sour. “Ew. Let’s talk about better stuff, yeah? Let’s go back to you teaching me how to flirt like I’m not already the master.”

Jimmy giggled in agreement. “It’s always so funny seeing you flirt. Cause I’ll go over, and you’ll be making goo-goo eyes and complimenting them and it’s working, and I’ll be like shit, wrong table.”

Dan laughed, kicking him. “You’re an ass.”

“Hey, hey, no kicking.”

“Awww, poor Jimmy. Such a big softie.”

“Hey, it’s true. I’ve secretly very soft.”

“Soft and mushy,” Dan agreed. “But mostly an ass.”

Jimmy snorted. “Yeah, mostly.” He glanced outside, where it was getting darker, the sun just about completely set. “We should go to bed soon. You have the sunrise fight, and we both know that tomorrow isn't going to be fun.”

“I'm not that drunk,” Dan defended.

“Yeah, whatever. Just go to bed.”

Dan flipped him off, heading towards his room. “You’re still an ass. Even if you're my best friend.”

“Oi, you have other friends?”

Dan laughed, not looking back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Idk if anyone read the last two chapters bc i didn’t get any comments, but idk. If you did read this, I hope you liked it! My tumblr is DansPHLevels, etc etc


	6. The Hailer

The fight was going well until about the second minute.

Dan, as promised, had gotten up early and had been hungover. Jimmy surely was too, but he didn't show it. “I made you breakfast, get going.”

Dan got ready, putting on the clothes Jimmy had gotten him without question. The shirt wasn't necessarily form fitting, but it was still still tighter than he'd choose. And of course the collar was low, especially in the back, showing off more of his tattoo. He ran his fingers through his hair, which had decided to be extra curly today, and got ready to go.

The streets were more empty than normal, but still a decent amount of people were out, many of which headed for the Colosseum.

They got there and finished the preparations in the small room, waiting for the announcement that it was time. Jimmy tossed him his crowbar. “And just so you know, you should make this a kill match. They've lost the past four matches and the audience is getting bored. I've already spoken to their handler.”

Dan nodded curtly, getting in position. Then the match was announced and he stepped out to fight.

The person was creatively called ‘The Hailer’ because, surprise, they could make it hail. Dan remembered vaguely hearing about him: something about how he didn't have control over his powers and lost quickly.

As soon as Dan stepped out, it began to hail, most of the clouds contained inside of the arena but a few raining hail on the audience, causing lots of annoyed grumblings. Dan tilted his head towards the sky carefully, observing the tiny chunks of ice fall. He shook his head and walked towards the creator of the slightly uncomfortable weather conditions. He was a scrawny boy, tall and lanky with straightened dark hair. As Dan got closer, he saw the boy’s wide brown eyes. “Hey!” Dan called out. The boy looked around, as if unsure who he was talking to. “Yes, you!” Dan called back. “I heard you like the quicker rounds, right? Yeah, that's a problem, because I kind of wanted to play around with you for a while.”

The audience cheered loudly, and Dan could almost hear their thoughts. _Finally. A show._

Dan swung his crowbar around, twirling it in front of him. The boy was empty handed. “Hey runt, where's your weapon?”

The boy slowly started to back up. It was still hailing, but if anything it was a minor inconvenience. “They didn't give me one. They said this was a death match.”

“Well that wasn't very nice of them to tell you. Here, you can have mine.” Dan tossed the boy his crowbar, which he barely caught. The crowd murmured excitedly.

“Thanks!” The boy called back, still looking uncomfortable.

“Don't thank me just yet. Now, is this really the best you can do?”

The boy shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. After a moment, the hail started to intensify, growing in size and amount. “Nice. Now let's see what I can do with this.”

Dan willing the ice to avoid hitting him, and it seemed to listen. He swirled his finger around and the ice followed, slowly turning into a swirling tornado of hail, growing faster and thick with ice. Then Dan flicked his finger and the tornado shot towards the boy.

It collided just to the left of him, creating a hole in the wall. The audience cheered.

The boy was shaking. “Come on,” Dan called out, opening his arms. “You want to get at least one good hit in before you die, don't you?”

The Hailer got to his feet, hefting the crowbar and walking towards Dan, looking for the trick. Dan raised an eyebrow. “My arms are getting tired over here.”

The boy sped up, swinging the crowbar as he ran for Dan. Dan dodged it and grabbed the bar, twisting it out of his grip and shoving him to the ground. The audience cheered, excited for blood. Dan tossed the crowbar back to the boy, it skidding to him. “Get up, come on, fight!”

He climbed to his feet, trying to swing at Dan again but Dan stepped in and grabbed it mid swing, ripping it out of his hands and kicking him backwards. The boy let out a screechy, pained noise as he fell to the ground, gripping his bleeding hands. “Get up!” Dan called to him, throwing the crowbar onto his chest, causing him to let out another pained noise.

Dan stepped away, turning to the side and closing his eyes, imagining exactly what he wanted. He spun in a full circle, hands outstretched, and fluffy white snow seemed to shoot from his fingertips, covering the floor of the arena and his opponent. He stepped towards the boy, ready to finish things off as the audience chanted “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

And that's when things went wrong.

Dan looked up at the audience, all of whom were standing. They all chanted, stomping and making the thumbs down. Then his eyes caught on one person, at the same time as he heard it. “Don't do it!”

He locked onto their intense blue eyes, and all of a sudden Dan’s blood turned to ice. The Hailer took his distraction as the perfect opportunity for one last attempt at a strike. He swung Dan’s crowbar and it made sharp contact with his arm.

Dan screamed in frustration, grabbed the bar and kicking them backwards. His arm was definitely bleeding, but he didn't care as he swung his crowbar, it hitting the boys leg with a horrible cracking sound. He curled over, and Dan put one foot on his side, raising his hands in victory. The audience cheered, clearly thinking thinking the boy was dead. “You'll play dead if you know what's good for you,” Dan mumbled, too quietly for anyone else to hear besides the boy, who stayed perfectly still.

Then Dan got off of him and strode towards his gate, which opened for him. As soon as he was out of sight of the audience, he was running, cutting off whatever congratulations Jimmy had in store with “We have to get out of here!”

Jimmy started to ask what he meant, then saw the look in his eyes and grabbed their bag, the two of them running through the catacombs into the daylight. “Slow down, we can't seem suspicious!” Jimmy hissed, making him slow to a fast walk. The people around them cheered for Dan’s victory in the arena, but he didn't care. He just had to leave.

“Dan!” A voice called out.

“Faster, Jimmy!”

“Dan!” This voice was seared into his mind, accompanied by thousands of memories that Dan had refused to forget. He tried to speed up.

A body collided with Dan’s, wrapping around him. “Dan! Dan, you're okay, we had no idea-”

She was roughly pulled off of him, her elbows pulled behind her. “Get off of him, you can't-” Jimmy started, but before he could finish Mandy’s elbow made contact with his face and he dropped her.

Dan’s eyes were wide. “Mandy. What are you-” she encased him in another hug, and this time, Dan reciprocated it. Mandy rested her head against his shoulder, and Dan rested his head on hers.

She was wearing a dark blue cloak, her weapons concealed beneath it. And, a few paces back stood a figure wearing a similar looking cloak, the hood pulled back to reveal his stark black hair. Dan swallowed. “Hi, Phil.”

\-------------

Jimmy’s nose was bleeding. He cupped it as they walked, observing the others with a practiced poker face, though his eyes were a little too wide.

He'd been the one to speak first, breaking up the hug. “If you guys want to talk, we'd better take this into private. Best for him not to stay outside too long after a fight.”

Mandy nodded easily, letting Jimmy lead them along the brick streets to the apartment. Mandy was on Dan’s left, his hand on his shoulder like he might try to run, which he did consider. They spoke quietly- well, she spoke quietly, Dan was still in too much shock to say much. Then, on his right, was Phil.

Phil. As in, Phil Lester, as in Fire Boy, as in, ‘Hot Stuff’, as in, that Phil, the Phil Dan had shared a tent with for God knows how many years and the Phil that Dan had ran away from all those months ago. Technically, he'd run away from all of the others, but leaving Phil was the one that hurt most.

“A few of the others are in the city too,” Mandy narrated quietly. She kept looking at Jimmy, a few paces in front of them, as if he might be eavesdropping. “There's PJ, and Emma. Emma’s doing fine by the way, she's talking and her neck is healed, but she still has a serious scar. It's actually pretty cool. She and Seth are still together. Actually, they want to get married.”

“Married,” Dan repeated, testing out the word. “Do they like, want to have kids?”

Mandy nodded. Dan found himself wrapping his arm around her waist, making walking together a bit more comfortable. “They do. I think Seth’s a little worried, but they both seem really excited.”

“What happens when two mutants have kids?” Dan wondered aloud. “Do they like, have double the powers?”

“That sounds like a horrible idea,” Jimmy muttered in front of them.

“Ignore him. He’s racist.”

“Not racist,” Jimmy corrected.

“Mutant-ist,” Dan teased.

Jimmy grunted, but didn’t argue further.

Mandy gave Dan a worried glance, then went back to catching him up. “So, yeah. PJ and Emma are both scouting together, then there’s Phil and I, obviously, and Angie and Helen. Oh yeah, you never met Helen, did you? We found her a few weeks ago. She’s kind of secretive about her powers, so I’ll let her tell you later, but she’s cool. She’s my new tent-mate.”

Dan frowned. “What about Jordan?”

“She’s having hallucinations,” Phil answered for her. Just his voice sent shivers down Dan’s back. “Doesn’t talk to anyone but PJ, and is still… not quite there.”

“That’s the girl with the mind-reading, yeah?” Jimmy clarified, still not looking back at them.

“How does your nose feel?” Mandy asked, her tone icy. “Do you think I broke it? I could always try again.”

“I don’t think it’s broken, and thanks, I’m good. You don’t have to try again.”

They got to the steps up to their apartment and started climbing them. Mandy and Dan went a little slower, letting Jimmy and Phil go in front of them. “What’s his deal?” Mandy asked quietly.

“That’s Jimmy,” Dan answered uncertainty. “He’s… my handler.”

“Your handler,” Mandy repeated.

Jimmy open the door, waving them in but stopping Dan at the door. “Mandy. Which powers-”

“That’s rude,” Dan corrected carefully. “It’s like orientation. You’re not supposed to ask someone else, and generally, it’s not that great of an idea to ask someone theirs unless you know each other.”

Jimmy nodded, though he still didn’t seem to get it, which wasn’t that much of a surprise. To Dan’s knowledge, Jimmy hadn’t left Alexandria since he’d first gotten there, and in Alexandria, being a mutant wasn’t something that was ever kept a secret.

Mandy and Phil had both sat on the small couch in the living room, both still wearing their cloaks. “Grab a stool?” Jimmy requested Dan as he went to put away their bag. Dan nodded, going over to the poker table.

“He’s not your slave,” Phil complained quietly. Dan and Jimmy made eye contact, but neither said anything.

Soon, they were all sitting down, Dan on his designated poker night stool, and Jimmy on one of the chairs from the tables, with Mandy and Phil on the couch. “Welcome to Alexandria,” Jimmy said finally, breaking the silence. “I’m sure you had lots of fun with border security?”

“Yeah…” Mandy said in a way that made Dan positive they’d snuck in a different way. “And who are you?”

Jimmy and Dan exchanged a look. “I’m James Marbury,” he introduced himself. “But you can call me James.”

Dan gave him a look. “Jimmy…”

“Jimmy?” Phil questioned, looking back at forth between them.

Dan shrugged, trying to offer them a little smile. “He’s my handler, which means he’s basically my boss slash roommate.”

The use of the word ‘roommate’ somehow increased the tension in the room. It was a loaded word, like saying he was Dan’s ‘tent-mate’.

“Your boss?” Mandy asked a little more diplomatically. “What do you do?”

“I’m pretty sure you both already saw,” Dan said, fiddling with his hands on his lap. “I work in the arena.”

“Killing people” Mandy confirmed.   
  
“Well… people is a kind of ambiguous word,” Dan corrected hesitantly. “And I don’t kill them. Usually. Today was a special case. I fight other mutants. It’s a pretty big thing here.”

Mandy looked over at Jimmy, then back at Dan. “You fight other mutants. As in… there’s others?”

“A lot others. There’s a ton of us here.”

“And you kill them?”

Dan cringed. “Not usually.” He glanced over at Jimmy, whose nose had started bleeding again. Dan quickly took the opportunity to get up and go to the kitchen, wetting a washcloth and freezing it as he came back over, offering it to him. “But there a lot of us here. Everyone with these,” he extended his arm, showing off his black wrapped wrist, “is a mutant.”

He could almost follow their eyes exactly. Looking to Dan’s wrist, processing it, then slowly looking over to Jimmy, who was holding the frozen washcloth to his nose. “Then where’s James’ tape?”

“Jimmy is human.”

Both of them looked at Jimmy again, as if seeing him again for the first time. Jimmy flashed them a peace sign.

“What the fuck Dan.”

If the moment hadn’t been so tense Dan may have laughed. “He’s not so bad.”

“Gosh, thanks.”

“I mean, he’s an asshole, but-”

Jimmy kicked him lightly. He gave him a look, and they had a brief conversation through their facial expressions, the rough translation being ‘What are you doing Dan, that’s not helping’ ‘I’m not wrong’ ‘yes but you’re not making them like me very much’.

They both turned back to them at the same time. “You said Angie is scouting today? Good for her.”

“Yeah, she kinda grew up on us. She’s been on a few scouting things already, and she’s getting better at using her powers.”

Dan turned to Jimmy. “Angie has really neat powers. She can crystallize-”

“Dan!”

Dan looked back at Mandy, it taking a moment before he processed why she was annoyed. “Oh shit, sorry. The whole… secretive thing.”

“You literally just corrected me on that,” Jimmy reminded him.

“Honestly, fuck you-”

“You’re bleeding,” Phil realized.

Dan looked back at Jimmy. “You sure your nose isn’t broken?”

“Positive. Also, he was talking about you.”

Dan looked down, where his arm had apparently decided not to clot. “Oh, shit. Yeah. Honestly, I’m always bleeding, it kinda comes with the territory.”

“I’ll clean it for you,” Phil decided, standing up. “Where’s the water?”

“There’s water in all of the bathrooms-”

“All of the bathrooms?” Mandy interjected. “As in, more than one? We’re in a bloody palace.”

Phil gestured to Dan to get up. Dan followed him, sending a nervous glance back at Jimmy.

Phil tried to take him into the first room, but Dan quickly pulled him back. “Let’s go to my bathroom instead.” He lead Phil into the smaller room, then through it to the bathroom.

Phil turned on the faucet and pulled Dan over, washing his arm off under the tap water. Part of his arm had been stained red with blood, which Phil carefully scrubbed. “You look different,” he said finally.

Dan let Phil clean his wound, not objecting as the water made it sting. “Yeah. Things have… certainly changed.”

Phil turned off the water, reaching over and drying Dan’s arm off. When he was done he didn’t let go, instead turning his arm over, observing the various bruises. “You look like someone’s been using you for target practice.”

“Basically a summary of my week,” Dan joked. He smiled to himself, purposefully avoiding Phil’s gaze. “I missed you.”

“You left.”

“I was going to be kicked out anyways. I killed Eli-”

“Fuck Eli,” Phil exclaimed, making Dan look up. Phil _didn’t_ curse.

“Okay,” Dan said more carefully, observing Phil’s facial features as he observed Dan’s arm. “But there were a lot of reasons why I had to leave. I’d been lying to you about my powers-”

“Yeah, screw you for that too. How long did you know about them?”

Dan bit his lip. “About a week.”

Phil pursed his lips, looking like he was holding a few other opinions back. “If you were kicked out, I would have gone with you.”

Dan looked up at him. “What?”

“You heard me.”

Dan shook his head. “I had to go.”

“No, you didn’t-”

“Guys?” Mandy interrupted, sticking her head in. “Phil, it’s past noon. We promised the others-”

“Crap, you’re right.” Phil didn’t let go of Dan’s hands. “We’re going back to camp now to meet up with the others. I think we’ll be staying nearby for a little while before moving again. You should come with.”

Dan hesitated, though he already knew the answer. He looked to the side, and saw that Jimmy was standing behind Mandy, his arms crossed. He shook his head. “I can’t,” Dan said apologetically. “I’ve got training, and sponsor stuff-”

“But you guys can come back tomorrow,” Jimmy offered. “You know where we are. We should be done with fighting stuff by one, if you want to come over, but it might be better to give it an hour. Dan usually needs some time to recharge after a match.” The reminder made Dan’s legs almost buckle, and he realized just how sweaty and gross he was. “And bring your friends,” Jimmy added.

Mandy and Phil exchanged a look, then Phil looked back at Dan. “The others will all want to see you. Just come over for a little while, you don’t even have to stay-”

“Maybe soon,” Dan offered, trying to sound willing. “But I can’t do today. I’m sorry.”

They escorted Phil and Mandy to the door, where Mandy gave Dan another hug and Phil looked at him, finally giving in and hugging him tightly, quickly letting go. “We’ll be here tomorrow,” they promised. Then they were gone.

Jimmy bit into an apple he was holding. “Phil kinda seems like an ass, not gonna lie.”

“You’re human, what’d you expect.”   
  
Jimmy shrugged, heading towards the kitchen. “It’s a different world out there.”

“Yeah,” Dan swallowed. “It really is.”


	7. Yazzi

“You’re sure you know how to play?” The woman, Yazzi, teased.

Dan wrinkled his nose, moving around the cards in his hand. “You’ve played with me before.”

“That is true. However, you’re always broke by the end, so I wasn’t sure.”

The others ‘oohed’, waving their hands over their faces like their eyebrows were almost singed off by the burn. “I should know how to play by now,” Dan insisted. “I’ve watched enough Cytes play it, I should get it by now.”

The other three mutants snickered, while Jimmy and the other two humans at the table- the ‘Cytes’- shook their heads. “We don’t call you Nucleos,” one of them argued.

“That’s because calling us ‘Nucleos’ is an invitation for us to show you are powers,”   
Yazzi agreed. “I.e., use our powers on you, and I can guarantee 80% of the time you would not enjoy that.”

“80%,” the guy grumbled. “What’s the other 20?”

Dan cracked a smile. “Mutants with non-offensive powers. The ones who come to Alexandria to get a job shelving books at the library.”

The others oohed again, knowing that was exactly what Yazzi spent most of her time doing. “Okay, okay, I see you. Not everyone is willing to get on their knees for the man as willingly as you are, Princey.”

The poker game had temporarily paused, everyone too busy looking back at forth between Dan and Yazzi to care about gambling. “I don’t get on my knees,” Dan defended, still grinning. “Honestly, have you seen me after a fight? My knees are like the one part of me that doesn’t get bruised.”

“ _He’s lying_ ,” Jimmy interluded in a sing-song voice. “ _He’s clumsy._ ”

Dan shook his head, but didn’t deny it. “Yazzi, I think it was your turn.”

“You’re right. I’m going to raise.”

“You sure that’s a good idea?”

“Maybe not, But I’m definitely not going to take poker advice from you.”

——————

The next morning was a blur. Two fights then getting back to the apartment and showering, promptly followed by collapsing.

“Hey Dan, wake up. Oh shit, you’re not cold.”

Dan rolled over, peeking through his fingers at the voice. Mandy was peering down at him, looking the exact same as she always did- messy bun, freckles speckling over her nose, and cloak covering her bow and quiver of arrows. The cloak was for city use only, but as no one walked around Alexandria with full weapons, it was probably a good idea to keep them covered.

“I had two fights today,” Dan complained. “The refrigerator inside my chest has been overworked. Come back in two hours and I’ll make you a snow cone.”

It took a little time, but finally Mandy coerced Dan up. “I’m surprised Jimmy let you in here,” Dan complained. “You interrupted my beauty sleep.”

“You definitely need it,” Mandy agreed. “But it’s two in the afternoon. Get moving.”

“I already was moving,” he whined, “I had two fights today.”

“How’d you do?”

“I won both.” Dan shrugged. “Have to if I want to make it to the finals. If I want to _win_.” He got up and walked to the bathroom, running a hand through his curls, Mandy following him.

She crossed her arms in front of her. “And you do? Want to win?”

Dan sucked in a breath, nodding. “Yep. Right now, basically everything I do revolves around the competition. Gotta do more training, get more sponsors.”

“Sponsors?”

“Rich old guys, usually. They are the ones who cover the cost of my fighting.”

This didn’t seem to make Mandy like it any more. “You talk about it so casually.”

“It is casual. It’s just what I do.” With one last look in the mirror, Dan decided he was good, and they headed out to the living room. There, Jimmy and Phil stood and leaned against the couch, plus one other.

“Dan,” he said immediately, straightening.

Dan tried for a smile. “PJ.” He walked over, not sure what to do. Pj looked him up and down like he was trying to process the changes and decided if he liked them or not. Finally, he opened his arms. “Come ‘ere.”

They hugged, somewhat briefly and awkwardly, but it was a start. Dan had a feeling that out of all the people at camp, PJ was probably the one Dan had most offended by his actions that last day. He’s the one who would’ve voted for Dan to leave, and urged the others to do the same.

Phil was there too, and they made eye contact. Phil let out a shaky exhale, and tried for a smile. “This place is nuts,” he decided. “Have you tried the olive bread? It’s amazing!”

Dan chucked. “I’m glad you like it.”

Translation: I’m glad you’re not still mad at me.

Phil’s nose seemed to twitch. “Well, I’m still kind of adjusting. You know, usually the bread we get is pretty bad.”

Translation: I’m still adjusting to everything. You know how unfair it was when you left.

“That’s good. Hopefully you can find some other foods you like here.”

Translation: I promise it’s not all bad.

“Maybe. I’m doubtful.” Phil licked his lips. “But I sort of prefer the bad bread.”

“You guys done?” Jimmy interjected. Phil scowled at him. “Great. Is there anything you wanted to do? We have to be somewhere at around five, but until then we could show you around, give you a tour.”

Dan bit his lip. “Do you think… do you think Phil and I could go off on our own? Just walk around for a bit.”

Jimmy seemed to hate the idea. “Dan…” Dan batted his eyelashes. “Fine. But only if you’re both properly marked. Phil, come here.”

Dan pulled Phil over, who followed uncertainty. “Why?”

Dan stood next to Jimmy as he pulled out a roll of black athletic tape from his pocket. “You have to show that you’re a mutant.”

“Absolutely not,” PJ declared behind them.

Jimmy shook his head. “Trust me, I know what I’m doing. It’s a big deal to lie about your status here. For example, if Danny here,” he ruffled Dan’s hair as he said that, “were to accidentally freeze something he shouldn’t have, then as long as he as this on,” he lifted up Dan’s right hand, the one with the black tape around it, “he’d be fine. Mutants don’t always have control over their powers. But if, say, Dan didn’t have that on and he froze something, it’d be a big problem. Phil, your wrist.”

Phil didn’t move. “How easy is it to take off?”

“Easy,” Dan answered for him. “I replace it every so often, otherwise it gets all bloody and sweaty and stuff.”

Phil made a face, but offered Jimmy his left wrist. Jimmy taped it, wrapping it around expertly. When he finished, he tore off the end, and looked to the others. “Who’s next?”

Mandy sighed. “I’ll do it. But my powers aren’t going to destroy anything.”

“Defensive powers can be more dangerous than you’d think.”

“Jimmy!” Dan scolded.

He raised his hands up in surrender. “My bad. I forget.” He took Mandy’s arm, beginning to wrap it with tape. “PJ, you’re next.”

“I’m going to pass, thanks.”

Jimmy shook his head. “You really should do it. It’s not a big deal, just tape.” Finally, all three of them were taped up and good to go. “Anywhere in particular you want me to take you? I could give you a behind the scenes tour of the arena.”

Mandy and PJ both tensed at that word. “I think we’re good. Phil, we’ll meet you back at camp… when? Five?”

“It’ll be sometime tonight,” Phil promised.

They said their quick goodbyes, then PJ and Mandy left. Phil waited by the door while Dan talked to Jimmy.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Jimmy asked, looking genuine. “I could go with you.”

Dan nodded. “We’ll be fine. Need to… catch up. In private. Not always easy to do in front of others.”

Jimmy was holding onto Dan’s wrapped wrist, playing with one corner that was starting to come off. “I could follow you. You’d never know I was there.”

Dan smiled smally. “Thanks, but we’ll be able to handle ourselves just fine. I’ll be back before five, promise.”

“You’d better. It’s a formal party, which means a trim and togas.”

Dan groaned, but agreed. Then with one final goodbye, went over to the door where Phil was waiting. “Do you want to blow him a kiss too, or…”

“Oh, shut up,” Dan swatting his arm playfully. “Let’s get out of here.”

————-

They walked along the street, and before they were even out of sight from the building they were holding hands. “Is this okay?” Phil asked, looking straight forwards.

“Yeah, as long as you don’t mind Jimmy seeing.”

Phil stiffened. “He’s watching us?”

“Just from the apartment,” Dan reassured quickly. “He’s protective. I don’t really go out on my own.”

Phil grunted. “I hate the way he talks to you. Like he owns you, or something.”

Dan laughed lightly. “You act like he makes me do slave labor or something. Phil, he’s my handler, he’s literally in charge of me. I know you don’t get it, and that’s fine, but this is the way it is.”

The walked in silence for a few moments, hands still intertwined. “It’s strange that you live in an apartment,” Phil said finally.

“Right? Apparently they were left over from before the war. We have engineers in the city, obviously, they’re the ones who built the Colosseum. But we don’t really have the material to build multi-story buildings anymore, so all of the new places are one story.”

Phil hummed. They turned a corner, and Phil seemed to relax a bit more, swinging their arms a little. “I like the streets. Brick is better than cobblestone.”

“It really is, especially since we have to walk everywhere. Tonight, Jimmy and I are going to a formal party and we’ll have to wear togas and sandals. It would be miserable to walk with those on on cobblestone.”

“Yeah, I guess so. But why togas?”

Dan shrugged. “It’s an ancient Roman thing, and in case you didn’t notice, we’re kind of obsessed with them here. And suits are really difficult to make, they’d be too expensive. But togas are easy.”

“I can’t really imagine you in a toga.”

Dan laughed. “I couldn’t really either, the first time. But they’re actually pretty comfy, if you can get over the draftiness of it all.”

——————-

They’d walked around the city for a while, keeping a close eye on the sun as it moved across the sky. Dan showed Phil the new apartments, the market, and the library. But too soon, they had to start walking back to the apartment, which meant walking past the arena.

“I want you to come back to camp,” Phil said quietly. Their hands hadn’t separated the whole time they’d been walking, and every once in a while Dan looked down at them to see if it was real. Phil’s hand and his, intertwined again like they’d been all those hours walking together, only now with both of their wrists wrapped in black. No more denying who they were- they weren’t travelers, they weren’t campers, they were mutants. Mutants, and all who saw them knew who they were and accepted it. “Dan, did you hear me?”

Dan shook his head, waking himself up from his daze. “Camp,” he repeated. “Phil… I was kicked out.”

“No, you weren’t,” Phil insisted. “You ran away.”

“You saw how PJ looked at me today.”

“He looked at you that way because it’s only been six months and all of a sudden you’re wearing black earrings and you’ve cut your hair and you have a handler who gives you permission to leave the house.”

They walked past one of the mutant entrances to the area. “Phil…”  
  
“Things have changed. I get it. But not everything has to be different.”

“Phil…”

“Give me some time, okay? Because I don’t know right now, and I need to figure it out. We’ll be camping outside the city for a little while. The breach in the wall is over there, behind that building.” Phil pointed towards it, and Dan made a mental note. “Visit sometime. I just need you to promise you’ll do that.”

“I don’t know when, but… I promise.”

Phil looked up at the huge colosseum walls. “I can’t believe… you…”

“I know. And Phil, it’s just fighting. I’m rarely in the death matches.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. The apartment was almost within view. “I want to come with you tonight,” Phil blurted out. “To the party.”

“No.” Dan said a bit more harshly than he intended. “I mean, it wouldn’t work. You wouldn’t like it. We don’t go for fun, it’s all work.”

“So you fight mutants at the parties?”

Dan snorted, “no, I wish. That’d be so much easier. No, we try to make friends, get sponsors, you know. Be likeable.”

“Must be a lot of work.”

Dan smiled to himself. “It is, no joke. I hate being likable. It’s so much easier to fight, because then I don’t have to be likable, I can just be powerful.”

Dan looked over at Phil, who was looking at his feet. He looked up and met Dan’s gaze. “Can I come another night?”

Dan swallowed. “I’ll have to ask Jimmy.”

“Of course you will.” Phil hesitated. “Will you, though? Ask him? I want to come to one of these things, I’ll even wear a toga.”

Dan snorted. He imagined Phil wearing a toga like the one Jimmy wore, or worse, like the one he wore, all collarbones and exposed back. “I’ll ask.”

They reached the stairs that lead up to the apartment, and Phil leaned against the wall. “I missed you,” he muttered lowly, gently pulling Dan in by his hand, so they were only a few inches apart.   
  
Dan rested his forearm against the wall to the side of Phil’s head. He could hear Phil’s breathing, see his chest move up and down slowly. Phil looked almost as scared as Dan felt. “I missed you too.” Dan leaned in and Phil closed the gap, pressing their lips together in an innocent kiss.

Phil was the first to pull away, because he was always the first to pull away. Once Dan gave in, he never wanted to stop, even if it was an innocent kiss. “You should go,” Phil whispered. “Your keeper will be waiting.”

Dan made a face. “He’s not my keeper. But… you’re right.” Dan made himself slowly back up. He held Phil’s hand for a moment too long, then finally let their fingers slip apart.


	8. Mr. Halstead

“Hold still,” Jimmy commanded. Dan did his best, his head tilted all the way to the side as Jimmy carefully trimmed the hair on the side of his head.

“He wanted to go to a party with me,” Dan recalled, careful not to move his head.

“That’s a horrible idea. Does he know what you do at those parties?”

“I tried to explain to him. He seemed to get it, but I still don’t think, he like, _gets it_.”

Jimmy made one last cut, brushing any stray hairs off and putting his shears away. “Okay, you’re good to go. Get the togas?”

Dan went and retrieved them, talking as he walked back to him. He set the pieces of fabric and pins on the bed, unfolding one. “Do you think he could though? Just one night, when we have a party or something that’s casual.”

Jimmy undid his belt, pulling his pants down. Dan did his best not to watch. “Are you sure you want that? You’d still have to do your work, you couldn’t just sit in the corner and get drunk with your boy toy.”

Dan made a face. “He’s not my boy toy.”

“Help me, will you?” Jimmy had taken his shirt off and replaced it with a white T-shirt made out of the same silky material as the cloth. Dan jumped up and helped him wrap the cloth around his waist, making sure his shirt was tucked in it, and pinned it. He brought the cloth up over his shoulder and tucked it in the back. The tunic was modest, with most of his shirt covered by the fabric except for his shoulder. “Good. You’re ready?”

“Yeah.” Dan straightened, taking off his shirt and stepping out of his pants. Jimmy was already folding the fabric when he was done, and quickly draped it over him. Dan’s toga was more of a chiton, pinned at both shoulders with the excess fabric draped over his chest, and tied at the waist with a small rope. After Jimmy adjusted it a bit more, it sat sturdily on his shoulders with a generous neckline. The back dipped almost all the way to the bottoms of his shoulder blades, and altogether the chiton fell just to his knees. “Who’s the boy toy now?” Dan muttered, but Jimmy just laughed.

They finished getting ready, then put their sandals on. The sandals were a creamy brown and had straps that laced up just a few inches below the knee.

“I can’t wait to walk another half hour.”

“Actually, I got us a chariot. It was made affordable by Mr. Munn, the sponsor you seduced the other night. See, it’s all for a purpose.”

Dan didn’t complain. They went downstairs, where the chariot was already waiting, and climbed in. Jimmy took ahold of the reins while Dan held on to the side, just hoping he didn’t fall.

“The owner of the villa is a man named Des Halstead,” Jimmy narrated over the trotting of the horses.

“Villa?”

Jimmy nodded, sending Dan a small smile. “He’s loaded. We need him as a sponsor. Don’t mention it too much tonight, but let him know what you want. Play hard to get, make him come to us.”

Dan nodded. “When do we seal the deal?”

“It depends, but for tonight really go in on him. He’ll want to do a small sponsorship, but hold out on it. Then later, you’ll want to be prepared to pull out all the stops.”

Dan swallowed. Jimmy had warned him that he might have to do something like that, but he’d figured that was just as a backup, in case they couldn’t get enough sponsors. “All the stops. As in… all of them?”

“It depends. You could get away with just using your mouth, but you couldn’t go in unwilling.”

Dan’s stomach hurt, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t from the chariot. “Don’t worry,” Jimmy reassured, “that comes later anyways. For tonight, just flirt. Don’t try to line up any other sponsorships, just focus on him, and play hard to get. ‘Kay?”

“‘Kay. But I need a break, and soon. A night off.”

“We can hang back tomorrow. We could even go somewhere if you wanted, do something else. You won’t even have to be likeable.” They came to a stop in front of a large villa, a few servants coming out to take the chariot. “But that’s only if you do a good job tonight. Comprende?”

“Comprende.”

—————-

“How long have you been designing houses?”

Mr. Halstead, the man who was throwing the party, considered this. They were walking arm in arm along a pathway made out of smooth white stone, lined on either sides with flowering plants. They'd been talking at the party for a little while before Dan claimed he needed some air, and asked if they could take a walk.

“I've been designing buildings since college,” he decided, still thinking. “I was an architect for almost twenty years before the war started. I lived in a city nearby for a little while, before hearing of Alexandria and moving. There weren't many people here who knew how to build and design. I was one of the initial designers of our Colosseum.”

“Wow,” Dan hummed. “Was it your idea to have the underground catacombs?”

Mr. Halstead laughed good-naturedly. “No, that was something the ancient Romans came up with. Our Colosseum was modeled directly after theirs, though ours is significantly less complicated, and smaller too. The original Colosseum was big enough that it could be filled with water for naval fights.”

“That's incredible. And your house? Did you design it too? It seems very… Roman inspired.”

The man nodded, gently turning them down another pathway. “I did, and it is. Do you like it?”

Dan hesitated. “I like… the outdoor aspect. And the gardens. It's very different, and it's much nicer than indoor hallways. You must love your job.”

“I truly do. And what about you? You said you fight?”

Dan smiled sheepishly. “I fight, yes. It's… very interesting. I love using my powers, and I love the adrenaline rush I get from it all. It's really a high.” He looked at his sandals, trying to decide whether or not to bring it up. “Actually, I'm hoping to win the annual competition.”

“You don't say. I'd love to do what I can to sponsor you. How much is a low level sponsorship again?”

Dan giggled. “Thanks, but I don't want your money.”

Mr. Halstead stopped, turning to look at Dan. “You don't?”

“No,” Dan repeated, genuinely surprised by his reaction. “I mean, I need sponsorships, but not from you.”

“Why not?”

Dan tried to will his cheeks to blush as he looked down, avoiding his gaze. “I don't want to take advantage of you,” he lied. “We were having such a nice talk. I don't want to make this about money.”

The man took Dan’s arms again, continuing to walk along the smooth gilded path. “That's very wise of you. Money doesn't have to be everything.”

Dan nodded in agreement, resting his head on the rich man's shoulder with a relaxed sigh.

\----------------

The party went deep into the night. It was harder to tell the time when the sun wasn't out, but Dan could feel the drain on his body. Two fights that morning, walking with Phil, and then playing nicey nice with Mr. Halstead had all banded together to make one nice, big, painful cocktail.

When it was about time to leave, Mr. Halstead lead him back to the main area where most of the party goers were. “I had a wonderful time,” he told Dan, who reaffirmed it. “In fact, I'd love for you to come over for dinner some time.”

Dan accepted. He accepted because he knew that when it came to this man, this rich old man who'd spent the whole night talking to a boy less than half his age, the answer was always yes. “But I don't know when. I'm very busy this time of year.”

“Then I guess we'll have to wait and see.” The man seemed to have a twinkle in his eye, and Dan knew exactly what he wanted. But instead, he gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

“Yeah, I'll guess we'll just have to see.” Dan turned and left, looking back once once to confirm that yes, Mr. Halstead’s eyes were still on him. Dan made eye contact with Jimmy across the room, whose eyes were wide. Dan walked over to him, dropping the flirty smile for a tired one. “I get the day off tomorrow?”

“Yeah. You definitely get the day off.” Jimmy had to jog a little to catch up with Dan, who was making a beeline for the front entrance. “Where were you? You disappeared after like, an hour!”

“Excuse me? Could you go get our chariot for us?” Dan asked one of the attendants. They nodded silently, quickly going to get it. Dan turned to Jimmy. “I was with Mr. Halstead.”

“The whole time?”

Dan nodded. “He's an architect. He designed this house, and helped design the Colosseum.”

“You spent the entire time with him,” Jimmy repeated, still in shock. “You're a madman.”

“I may be mad, but I feel like a girl in this skirt,” he complained. “Do you think I’ll have to wear a toga again next time?”

“Next time?”

“He asked me to come over for dinner.”

“What?! What did you tell him?”

“I told him I would, but I didn't know when. Which wasn’t a lie, technically.”

Jimmy looked about ready to hit his head on one of the columns. “I can't believe you. I told you to play hard to get because no one else had had any luck with him.”

The attendant pulled up with their chariot. Jimmy took the reins, thanking them. “I just… wow. I'm genuinely impressed.”

“I’m genuinely tired. I want to go to bed and not wake up until next week.”

Jimmy patted his back, making sure he was holding on before he urged the horses forward. “It’s okay. You can sleep in tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Question of the chapter: What are some changes you’ve noticed in Dan’s character from the first book to this one?


	9. The Nucleos

  
Phil had forgotten to ask Dan when he fought the next day, but by lunchtime people seemed to be clearing out of the arena, so Phil guessed the fights were mostly just in the morning.

He’d been in the city that morning getting more supplies. He’d already brought stuff back to the camp, and had been just wandering around for a while, getting used to the space.

He thought about everything that had happened the past week. Finding Dan, and the city, and James. James, who apparently was the boss of Dan, and Dan just let him.

Phil sat down at a near empty snack bar, leaning against the wooden counter. What had James and Dan been before he came back? No, not James- _Jimmy_.

Before he realized what was happened, a few people were shouting, stumbling away. Phil jumped at the noise, before realizing the bar he’d just leaning against was on fire. “Oh! Crap- sh-”

One of the people behind the counter ran to it, hitting at it with a towel. “What’s you do, man? Put a lighter to it?!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-!” Phil put his hands up in surrender, and immediately the guy cooled down.

“Oh, I see. Don’t worry about it man, just be more careful next time.” He finished putting out the fire, eying Phil. “You’re a fire user? You in the arena?”

Phil stepped back, it taking a moment longer than he should’ve to realize his wrist was still wrapped in the black. Jimmy _had_ said that’d excuse him from any accidents. “Um, n-no. I’m just passing through.”

“You should be. If you could set my counter on fire on accident, just imagine what you could do to some Nucleos.”

“Nucleos?”

The guy raised his hands in surrender, grinning. “I was just playin’. Don’t burn me or anything.”

Phil quickly excused himself, walking fast to get away from the stall.

It was only a few minutes later that Phil was at the stairs to Dan’s apartment, taking them two at a time. He knocked on the door, waiting for it to be opened even though he knew there was no lock on it.

Jimmy opened it, standing in front of it so Phil couldn’t get through. “Hey. You just run a mile, or..?”

Phil crossed his arms. “Where’s Dan?”

Jimmy moved forwards so he was completely blocking the door, crossing his arms to mimic Phil. “I stabbed him. He’s dead.”

Phil stared at him. “You might just be the least likeable person I’ve ever met.”

This made Jimmy laugh, moving so Phil could get through. “Nice, nice. He’s in his room.”

“Resting from a fight?”

“Nope. I let him have the day off. He hasn’t even gotten out of bed yet.”

Phil looked back at him. “Seriously?” He didn’t wait for a response- or permission- as he went over to Dan’s room with Jimmy right behind him, gently pushing the door open. Dan whined at the extra light, rolling over in his bed.

“Dan, I brought you a friend!” Jimmy announced.

Dan opened one eye, peeking over.

“Hey, Dan.”

One of Dan's hands snuck out from under the covers, making a ‘come here’ gesture. Phil walked over, kicking his shoes off before crawling over to him. “Hey. Having a lazy day?” He asked gently. Dan nodded, his eyes closed again.

“Jimmy?” He asked, his voice lower than Phil had probably ever heard it. “Can you close the door? I don’t like the light.”

“Sorry Dan, I’ve got an open door policy. I’m like a caring father.”

“You’d be a horrible father,” Dan complained, snuggling up to Phil who was still sitting on the bed, not under the covers yet. “Just close the door.”

“It’s staying open.”

“Fuck you.”

“That was the most gentle ‘eff off’ I’ve ever heard,” Phil orated. “By the way, Jimmy, thanks for the advice about the tape. It really helped me out earlier.”

Jimmy gave him a nod.

“He’s actually really warm and fluffy when you get to know him,” Dan spoke quietly. “Otherwise, he's just an asshole.”

“Rude. Out of bed, fifteen minutes. It’s already afternoon.”

Dan raised his middle finger to him, and Jimmy left. Phil crawled in the bed next to Dan, their legs slightly overlapping. Dan hummed. “You’re really warm.”

“Sorry.”

“I like it.” Dan opened his eyes, and Phil found himself lost in the brilliant browns. He was miserably obsessed with Dan’s eyes.

Phil found his hand under the covers, holding them gently and running his thumbs over the backs. “What’s up?” He asked quietly, as to not scare this delicate boy he’d crawled into bed with. “Why aren’t you up yet?”

Dan looked at him for a few moments with those beautiful eyes. “It hurts.”

“What hurts?”

Dan bit his lip. “Everything. The bruises… the muscles… it’s all sore and I’m really tired. Don’t wanna be here.”

Phil felt his heart flutter. “You can come back to camp. Things can go back to what they used to be.”

Dan cracked a smile. “Things can’t ever be the way they used to. That doesn’t mean they have to be bad.” He squeezed Phil’s hand. “But that’s not what I meant. I don’t want to be… here.” He gestured around him. “Here. This whole here. I didn’t mean just the city.” He sighed, settling back into his pillow. Close up, Phil could see the tiny freckles that spotted his face, too light and too small to be noticeable anytime else. “I just wanna sleep and forget for a while.”

Phil rubbed his hand, moving up to rub his arm reassuringly. He scooted closer, gently massaging up his arm and to his bare shoulder. “I’m sorry you’re hurting.”

“I’m sorry the door has to be open.” Dan scooted closer into Phil, closing his eyes again. “Thanks for being nice to Jimmy. I like it when people I care about are nice to each other.”

Phil didn’t respond, just continued rubbing his back. After a few minutes he stopped, bringing his hands to a still, tangled with Dan’s comfortably. “What do you want to do? It sounds like you have a completely free day today.”

Dan hummed softly. “‘Already told you.”

“Dan, you can’t just sleep the day away.”

“Oh yeah? Watch me.”

Phil let him cuddle back into him. He thought about what had happened earlier, with the shopkeeper who thought he should fight in the arena.

“You’re being quiet,” Dan noticed. “Whatcha thinking about?”

Phil breathed in slowly. “An incident I had before I came here. Someone saw me use my powers-”

“You used your powers in public? Wow, things really have changed.”

“It was an accident. And they said… that I should fight in the arena.”

Dan’s eyes immediately opened. He scooted back a little, just enough so that he could see Phil’s face. “Don’t do it.”

“I- I wouldn’t. You know I would never… but I thought you liked it?”

Dan sighed, playing with the edge of the sheets. “You can say that you like something that hurts you as much as you want. It doesn’t mean that it stops hurting you.”

“Dan…”

“Don’t say it. I know what you’re thinking, and I’m not stopping it, or running off with you or joining up with the others again, okay? I’m staying here, at least for now. So just stop.”

Phil breathed in and out, feeling his chest rise slowly. “Dan… I think you’re beautiful.”

Dan rolled onto his back, pulling his hands away. “I wish people would stop saying that.”

“It’s true.”

“Fuck if you think it’s true. Your opinion doesn’t matter in this context.” He let his head lull to the side, looking at Phil. “Only mine. And I think that everything would be a lot easier if I was a potato.”

They both cracked up into giggles. Dan’s entire face seemed to glow with life and a sort of pure energy. He was absolutely radiant.

“Has anyone ever told you you’re very articulate? Even when you’re tired and done with everything. You’re pretty smart.”

Dan kept smiling, but in a slightly sadder way. “Nah. I was never articulate, I was always posh. And I was too busy being an outcast to be smart.”

“Hmm. I don’t think that’s right.”

“It never is.”


	10. The Flamethrower

Eventually, Phil managed to coerce Dan out of bed and to the poker table, where he sipped soup from a mug.

“I think you should go to training today,” Jimmy announced, leaning against the wall. “Low intensity, low strain. Just enough to get your blood pumping and get you ready for the next fight.”

Dan groaned. “Do I have to?”

“Phil can come too.”

Dan squinted at him tiredly. “And train?”

“I was thinking he could watch, but… I guess he could. Phil, how is your control over your powers?”

Phil looked at Dan like _is he serious?_ but Dan didn’t even bat an eye. “It’s fine,” he decided defensively. “But I don’t like using my powers.”

“Why not?”

Phil shrugged. “Morals.”

“Oh, you’ll want to get rid of those. Morals won’t get you anywhere in life.”

“Except heaven, maybe,” Dan snorted.

Jimmy kept pressing. “Come on, go to training. Test it out. Dan can show you the ropes.”

Phil looked to Dan. “It’d be fun,” Dan encouraged hopefully. “A lot more fun than doing it alone.”

Phil hesitated. “I won’t hurt anyone.”

“No need to. It’s all technique, skill stuff. It’s about as dangerous as yoga.”

————

“What type of yoga are you doing?” Phil asked, looking around the arena. Dan had already started stretching, and Jimmy watched them from the observation deck like the voyeur he was.

Dan smiled. “Come on, stretch with me. Where do you want to start? Powers, athleticism, combat-”

“I’m not doing combat,” Phil insisted.

“Fair enough. Let’s do… agility stuff, and then powers? Jimmy did say it just had to be a light workout.”

“Sure, I guess.”

They finished stretching, then went to the agility station where they worked on running, doing step ladders and other basic training methods that high schools had probably been doing since the 1800’s, plus a few additional things. Dan showed Phil how to roll the right way, and the trainer and Dan took turns shoving Phil and letting him try to catch himself with a roll. At one point, Phil started rolling and kept going, and Dan looked up to see Jimmy practically falling over laughing.

They’d worked up a good sweat by the time that was over, and they headed over to the powers station, where they decided to do the obstacle course. The obstacle course hadn’t been changed since the last time Dan had done it, but he found himself pulling Phil up onto the platform anyways. “We’ll do it together, yeah?”

Up on the observation deck, Jimmy was facepalming. Dan actively chose to ignore him.

The timer started, and they were faced with the first obstacle: the swinging pendulums. “Okay Phil. Try to use your powers to get past them.”

Phil gave him a nervous look, then raised his hands, which was the exact moment Dan remembered the last time Phil tried controlling his powers. It had resulted in a full fledged forest fire and Mandy's sworn enemy following their trail and trying to kill them- twice.

“Wait Phil, maybe we should take this slower-”

The metal pendulums began to glow with heat, now not only swinging blocks of death, but _white hot swinging blocks of death._

“Phil!”

“Sorry! You said to use my powers!”

“Yeah, to make them _less_ dangerous!”

“You should have told me that!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Dan raised his hands, preparing the freeze the pivots again. “I’ll just do what I did last time.”

“Hey! Ice Prince!” Dan looked down, where one of the attendants was calling up to him. “You have to get past each obstacle in a different way each time! No repeats!”

“Well, fuck.” Dan looked at the swinging pendulums of death, considering. “You could burn the poles off.”

“The metal part might come flying off and kill someone.”

“Huh. Well…” Dan raised his hands and summoned a huge chunk of ice underneath the pendulum, denser than what he normally made. It formed just in time for the pendulum to hit it with so much force it went flying into the wall, taking out a whole section.

Jimmy yelled him something from the observation deck, probably “This is why you need sponsors!”

Dan turned back to Phil. “Let’s just walk through them?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.” They carefully walked through the burning hot pendulums of doom, waiting in between each one for an opening. “What’s my cool mutant name? Like how you have The Ice Prince?”

Dan cracked a smile. “Flame Boy.”

“The Fire Lord,” Phil suggested, puffing his chest out. They ran past the pendulum, narrowly avoiding breaking most of the bones in their bodies.

“No, you can’t be the Fire Lord if I’m the Ice Prince!”

“The Fire King!”

“How about the Fire Peasant?” They sprinted past the last pendulum, going to the next obstacle: the pit. “Go on, Phil. Use your powers.”

Phil stepped up to the edge. “I don’t want to fall in there.”

“Then use your powers.”

“Oh yeah Dan, I’ll just heat my way across. Use your powers!”

“Fine.” Dan formed a layer of ice over the vat easily, putting a hand on his hip. “Happy?”

They started walking across, the ice supporting their weight. Until it started to melt.

“Is it always this watery?” Dan had just enough time to turn around before the ice under Phil’s feet melted all of the way through and he fell, barely catching himself on his arms. “Dan!”

Dan grabbed his arms, trying to pull him up. “Phil, you dolt! You melted it!”

“Well then freeze it!” Dan tried to freeze it again, which only resulted in ice forming around Phil’s midsection, holding him in place. “Dan! Ow!”

“You told me to freeze it!”

The ice around Phil melted enough that Dan managed to pull him up, just barely. Then they ran, barely making it across before the ice cracked.

“This was a horrible idea,” Phil panted.

The next obstacle was the one with the weapons being thrown across from either side. Dan rolled his sleeves up. “I’ve got this one.” He looked at the piles of ammunition next to the trainers throwing and froze them solid, so they couldn’t pick up any new weapons. Then they walked across easily.

“What do you think about the Flamethrower?”

“Too theatrical. And you’re too cute for it.”

“Aww, thanks.”

“It’d be like calling a newborn puppy ‘Spike’.” They got to the next platform. “Okay Phil, as soon as we get on here a bunch of dummies on carts with weapons are going to rush us. Take care of them?”

“They’re not real people, right?”

“Right, they’re mannequins.”

“Okay. Yeah, I’ve got it.”

They stepped onto the platform, and immediately a bunch of mannequins on carts with various weapons were thrust towards them, all of the dolls looking like they’d seen better days. Phil raised his hands, and the entire platform was engulfed in flames.

“Phil, ow, ow!”

The flames died down, and Dan quickly put the rest of them out. All of the mannequins had been incinerated.

In one of the other training sections, a mutant dropped their weapon and ran out of the gate, their handler chasing after them. “I quit! I don’t wanna be cooked!”

“I guess that worked,” Dan decided.

“Fire doesn’t have a solid form, so my options are sort of limited.”

“Fair enough.”

They went to the last platform, with the plant user. “I think I’ve got this,” Phil decided, noticing a few vines crawling from the floorboards.

“By all means.”

They walked forwards, taking their time. A vine tried to wrap around their feet but it withered and died instantly, the heat too much. It was only then that Dan noticed Phil was practically surrounding them in a field of pure heat energy, which wasn’t extremely comfortable, but was effective. “Since when could you do this?”

Phil shrugged. “I’ve been practicing. Just a little.”

“Nice.”

Phil started a little fire in front of the plant using mutant, who decided they didn’t want to be burned and jumped off of the platform. Dan and Phil went to the side and leisurely leaped off.

“76.8 seconds!”

“Nice!” Dan celebrated. “We broke my record!”

“Really?!”

“No, we actually more than doubled it, but that was still cool!”


	11. The Loser

  
The next day, Dan lost his fight. He was left lying on the dirt arena floor, his left pant leg slowly being dyed red. His internal organs felt like they’d been pounded past any further use, and the right side of his face burned with the warm, tingly pain that came with bad bruises. Dan lay there, either unable or unwilling to move, he wasn’t sure which, as snow slowly fell, stinging on his burning skin and getting stuck in his eyelashes. He wondered if anyone was coming for him, or if they decided to let him bleed out on the arena floor.

Eventually, someone came and dragged him halfway across the arena to his gate. He didn’t object, just slumped in their grasp, going limp.

They dropped him in the darker room, brushing their hands off and leaving. Dan didn’t move. He wasn’t sure if he ever wanted to move again.

“What the hell was that?”

Dan shrugged. He didn’t get up.

“That was a low ranked mutant! Dan, get up.”

Dan didn’t want to. But it was Jimmy, so he pushed himself up into a sitting position, immediately curling up in pain. “Ow.”

“Dammit Dan, the finals are coming up! You can’t lose anymore, you hear me? Whatever you have to do, you need to do it. Don’t be gentle. If you have to drop the theatrics, do it. Make it a death match if you need to. Because if you keep losing, someone else will make it a death match instead. Dan, look at me.”

Dan looked up. Jimmy looked just like he expected him too- messy, disgruntled, angry. Dan had disappointed him.

Jimmy crouched. “Listen. Here’s how it’s going to be from now until the end of the competition. No more losing. Daily training. You’re on probation for the next three days- 100% focus on your training, okay? None of the others over, you have to get them out of your head. No weapons in your fights. Understand?”

Dan nodded. Jimmy ran a hand through his hair in frustration, standing up. “Come on. Clean yourself up, then I’ll have a medic come down here. I can already tell your cheek is bruised, but it looks like they didn’t get your eye at all, which is good. My guess? You’ll be black and blue for a couple of days. Get going.”

Dan hauled himself to his feet, dragging himself to the bathroom. Everything ached miserably, but already he could tell nothing was broken.

He cleaned himself up, then Jimmy was knocking on the door, letting him know that the medic was there. He quickly pulled his fingers through his hair, messing it up a bit before leaving the room.

The medic gave him an extremely quick, silent exam. Jimmy was in the back the whole while, slowing pacing and chewing on his thumb nail. Then the medic stood, handing Dan back his shirt. “He has bruising on his face and stomach, and the cut on his leg. You’ll want to clean the cut more thoroughly when you get back and keep it clean, but that’s the biggest risk. No signs of head trauma or concussion, and the bruises will mostly heal on their own. You have ice powers?”

It was the first time she’d referred to Dan throughout her entire report. “Um, yeah.” His voice was croaky and hoarse.

“Use them to your advantage. Put a cool compress on the bruises, that’ll help them heal faster.”

“Will it make his face puffy or anything?”

“It shouldn’t look too bad,” she guessed. “I’d be most careful with your bruised abdominal muscles. Be gentle with them the next few days. Any questions?”

“No, we’re fine. Thank you.” Jimmy waved her away and she quickly left the room, likely having other things to attend to. “Let’s go, Dan.”

—————-

After Dan had showered and slept, he went around the apartment helping Jimmy clean it. They worked quietly and quickly, trading off supplies wordlessly. Jimmy had just gone into the kitchen when there was a knock on the door. “Can you get that?”

Dan nodded even though Jimmy couldn’t see him, hurrying over to answer the door. He opened it to find Phil, who’s smile instantly dropped when he saw Dan. “What happened? Dan-”

“I look like shit, I know.” Dan’s voice was still rough and gravelly, and only got a little better after he cleared his throat. “I lost a fight. Look, I’m not supposed to be talking to you right now. I’m on probation the next three days, Jimmy thinks that I need to focus more in the arena.”

“Probation? Why would-”

“I really have to get my act together if I want to do well in the competition. I’m sorry Phil, but we can do something on Thursday.”

“Thursday? But Dan-”

“I’ll see if you can come with me to a party, okay?” Dan promised, surprising himself. “Only if you still want to. I can tell you right now it probably wouldn’t be very fun.”

“I want to go,” Phil interjected. “And the probation thing is ridiculous. Jimmy can’t tell you what to do like that.”

“Actually, that’s my whole job as handler.” Jimmy interrupted, walking over from the kitchen with a bowl and towel in hand. “It’s just three days for him to focus again. Hopefully you can survive that.”

———————

“You’ve been quiet today,” Jimmy observed.

Dan shrugged lazily. “Not much to say.”

Jimmy nodded him over, “Come here. Stretch out in a way that’s comfortable for your stomach.”

Dan listened wearily, unsure what to do before Jimmy patted the couch, gesturing for Dan to lay down across his lap. Dan did so, grunting slightly as he got into a comfortable position. Finally he decided he was good, resting against the armrest in a way that his stomach didn’t have to be stretched at all.

“Do you wanna ice it?” Jimmy offered. “I can’t let you get out of training again tomorrow, but if you ice it it might feel better.”

“I guess so.” Dan lifted up his shirt slowly, observing the bruises that were starting to turn darker. He slowly spread his hands over it, and whoever he passed over and area a thin layer of snow formed.

“Doesn’t it sting?” Jimmy asked, watching in wonder.

Dan shrugged. “Not really. My powers are temperature based, which makes it so I can withstand the cold.”

“And the heat,” Jimmy guessed. “Phil’s fire yesterday didn’t burn you.”

Dan hesitated. “Well… sort of. It’s not comfortable for me, but I also don’t think I could ever die because of heat, you know? And I don’t really burn either.”

Jimmy carefully took Dan’s hand away from where he’d been smoothing out the snow over his stomach. He opened his palm, observing it like he was looking for a treasure map that just wasn’t there. “But how does it work? Do you actually… shoot ice out of your skin?”

“I don’t really know. I think… I think it’s more of a water thing? Like, it’s the water in the air. But at the same time, I could probably still make some sort of ice in a burning building, it’d just melt immediately.”

“We should have Phil help you test it out sometime.”

Dan bit his lip. “Could you… could we not talk about Phil for a while? Especially since I’m not allowed to see him until Thursday. He’s just… he’s so confusing. I don’t even know where to start with him.”

“Okay. Let’s go back to your powers then. What are powers even based on? It’s a genetic thing, right? You’d think science would know have found out more about it before everything got screwed up.”

Dan shook his head, smiling sadly. “Nah. No one cared about learning about us and the things that made us unique, they just learned as much as they needed to stop us.”

———————

Dan leaned against the metal gate keeping him from entering the arena. His entire cheek and jaw on the right side of his face was discolored a dark red, the edges lined with purple. It made the other side of his face look even paler, his dark edges darker.

He leaned against the gate casually, his hands empty. No weapon for him, it was a part of his probation. Despite his relaxed stance, his eyes were open wide, staring at Jimmy intensely. “I’m going to win.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“And I’m going to go to the finals. And I’m going to be on that stage when the victors are crowned.”

“You sure will.”

Dan leaned forwards as the gate swung open, but he didn’t move. “Just watch. Actually, don’t. It’s going to get ugly.”

Jimmy stared back at him. “Go. They’re waiting for you.”

Dan gave him a curt nod, turning and walking into the arena without another look. The gate automatically swung closed behind him, and Jimmy found himself walking up to it and grabbing onto the bars, staring as Dan marched to the center of the stadium to meet his opponent.

——————-

The first day of his probation, Dan won both of his fights. He used his powers and forced himself to stop glancing into the audience, looking for Phil. He didn’t find him, and there was no reason for him to have. Phil hated the fights, what would he be doing watching them?

That afternoon was training, and that evening was going to a house party and trying to get sponsors. No one signed on, which wasn’t unusual.

The next day he didn’t have any fights, so Jimmy had him do a longer, more intense training session. Then they did work around the house, and that night Jimmy quizzed him on fighting styles and methods and gave him a false interview. The Ice Prince had two different personalities: the flirty one he used on the sponsors, and the powerful one he used in the arena. As the competition grew closer and the rounds began, there was the chance he’d be interviewed, and they had to decide what _that_ personality would be. After a few failed attempts, they landed on sneaky: dangerous, but also intriguing.

The third day, Dan had a later fight which was good, because it took him fifteen minutes to crawl out of bed. Jimmy knocked on the door for the second time, opening it to tell him to get going when he saw Dan sitting on the floor, his face flushed. “You good?”

Dan was emotionless. “Mmm. Sore. Tired.”

“Tomorrow you can start fighting with your crowbar again.”

Dan hummed, closing his eyes. “Party tomorrow?”

“Yeah, there’s a smaller one I thought we could go to. I don’t know if any good sponsors will be there, but no harm in getting you out there more. Why?”

“I want Phil to come.” Dan’s eyes flickered open, immediately locking on Jimmy. “It doesn’t have to be a horrible thing. There’s drinking, maybe dancing, music.”

“You’ll still have to be working.”

“It’ll be fine,” Dan decided. “Can he? Please?”

Jimmy hesitated. “Can you stand up?” Dan nodded slowly, shuffling to his feet. “Okay. You can invite him, but you have to wait until tomorrow. Your probation isn’t over quite yet.”

He turned to leave, but before he could Dan was hugging him from behind, his head on his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, well, that’s tomorrow. You have to get through today first. No losing?”

“No losing,” Dan agreed, letting go. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

———————

Dan fought with a renewed energy that day. His opponent had a bow and arrows, but by the end of the round Dan had stolen them from him and given him a black eye and plenty of other fun miscellaneous injuries. Dan tried shooting him with the blunt arrows, but his hands were trembling too much from the adrenaline to hit him with the arrows, which gave the audience plenty of entertainment. Finally, after Dan ran out of arrows, he gave up and hit his opponent over the head with the thick wooden bow, knocking him out instantly.

He raised his hands and chin in victory, let the cheers wash over him, and then marched back to his gate, smiling the whole while. Jimmy met him there, laughing as he said “Nice going, Princey! Is that guy even alive?”

Dan shrugged, still grinning. “Dunno. But it felt good. I’m ready for my probation to end already.”

“Yeah, you’re ready to fight with a real weapon, huh?”

“Yeah.” But Dan wasn’t thinking about getting his crowbar back.

  
——————

Dan sprinted down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He’d fought that morning and by all regards should be miserable, but he wasn’t.

He almost literally collided with Phil at the bottom. He pulled him under the stairs where no peering eyes from above could see them and kissed him.

Phil laughed into the kiss, kissing him back just as forcefully. “Someone’s excited.”

“‘Missed you,” Dan explained, kissing Phil again before pulling back, still holding on to his arms. It felt good holding on to someone he didn’t have to worry about freezing. “Jimmy said you can come to the party tonight. And he doesn’t know if I’ll even have to be getting sponsors! We might just be able to hang out, and get drunk.”

“I don’t drink,” Phil argued.

Dan giggled. “Trust me, you will tonight. Otherwise you’re un-invited. You’ll hate it enough drunk, don’t want to see what you’d do sober.”

“You make literally no sense.” Phil pulled him closer and gave him a little peck. “But I’ll drink. If you want me to.”

“I want you to,” Dan giggled, pressing into another kiss. “I really want you to.”


	12. The Sober Lightweight

  
Something Phil learned quickly was that Dan was an extreme lightweight. In fact, he seemed to already be a little tipsy before they even got to the party.

“This is a horrible idea,” James reminded Phil as they walked. Dan was a ways ahead of them, talking to a hooded figure that could only be Mandy.

“I still don’t get what the big deal is.”

“Well, first off you’re a mutant. Mutants tend to lose control of their powers when they get drunk, which is fine if your powers are cute like his.”

“Cute?”

“Snow falling from the sky is much cuter than fire raining down.”

Phil snorted. “I’ll try to keep it under control. I won’t drink that much.”

“The first part of that statement was good, but the second part… Phil, you really shouldn’t be coming here. Dan will be looking for sponsors, he won’t have time for you.”

“But he said-”

Jimmy cut him off quickly. “He won’t have time to care about your opinion,” he corrected. “He has to play the part.”

“The part? What-”

“Just… don’t get upset with him? Don’t do anything dramatic. And try not to set anything on fire.”

They stopped talking as Dan jogged back to them. Mandy had disappeared into one of the side streets. “I need to get better at using bow and arrows,” he announced, falling into step with them. “That match the other day was horrible.”

“It was entertaining,” Jimmy argued, “but you should learn how to use them properly.”

“What happened?” Phil asked, looking between the two of them.

Dan went a little red. “At my fight a few days ago I took someone’s bow and was trying to shoot them with it, but I missed every time.”

“So you lost?”

Dan coughed awkwardly, and Jimmy answered for him. “He won. He ended up hitting them over the head with the bow.”

“Oh.” Phil avoided looking at them. “I’m missing a lot by not coming to your fights, huh?”

“Nah, mostly the same sort of things. I swear, I bruise so easily, look at this.” Dan pulled his shirt to the side, showing off part of his shoulder that was a grayish-green. “How did I manage to bruise my shoulder?”

Jimmy laughed. “Raw talent.”

“Hey!”

——————-

Dan smelled like wine.

They were sitting on one of the couches, so close they were practically tangled together. Dan sat with one leg on the floor, the other pulled up to his chest. Phil’s knee was underneath his bent leg, and they were pressed close together. Phil rubbed the back of one of Dan’s hands absently, giggling about something.

“What’s so funny?”

Phil pointed at Jimmy. “He’s drunk.”

Jimmy was sitting on the other side of Dan, his back against the arm of the couch and his feet up in the cushions, humming to himself and swaying along, his glass half full.

Dan smiled. “He’s not drunk, just relaxed. But the wine helps.” Dan glanced up, and his smile fell. For a second, he looked completely drained, all eyebags and exhaustion. Then the smile was back, a little more forcefully.

A few meters away was a man Phil had never seen before. He turned, and smiled when he met Dan’s gaze, raising his wine glass to him.

“Oh shit, one sec Phil. I’ll be right back, Jimmy will entertain you.” Dan carefully disentangled himself, pulling himself to his feet and jogging over to the man. Jimmy took a long drink from his cup.

Phil watched the two as Dan smiled widely at the man, who smiled right back. He put his hands on Dan’s hips and pulled him closer, and Dan put his hands on his chest.

“Who is that?” He asked, straining to hear their words but unable to.

“Mr. Halstead. Rich potential sponsor.” Jimmy seemed even less enthusiastic about it than Phil. “If he agrees to do a large sponsorship, we’ll be in the green.”

A few meters away, the man pulled back abruptly. Dan looked embarrassed, retracting his hands. His eyes flickered up, then back away, still smiling smally as the man brushed off some snow that had formed on his jacket.   
  
Phil swirled the wine in his glass, choosing to look at it instead of the pair. When he glanced up, they were both looking at him before turning back to each other. Dan said something, and the man seemed to agree. Then Dan walked back over. “Jimmy, he wants to-”

“I can tell him myself,” the man chided, almost making Dan jump. He offered Jimmy his hand to shake. “I’m Des Halstead, I understand you’re his handler?”

The words _he has a name_ got stuck up in Phil’s throat. He kept his lips pressed together, not trusting himself to say anything.

“I am, James Marbury, but you can call me James.”

“Nice to meet you James, I was wanting to invite The Ice Prince to dinner with me, say, Wednesday? Is that alright with you?”

“I believe we can make that work, yes.”

The man’s eyes shifted over the couch, landing on Phil’s. “And what about you? Do you fight?”

Phil sipped from his cup, not breaking eye contact. “No, he’s very pure. In morals, I mean,” Dan answered for him, smiling easily, the lights making his eyes glimmer.

Mr. Halstead’s eyes traveled over Phil in full, not even trying to be discrete. “You could come over for dinner too, if you’d like. I’m sure the three of us would have a lovely time.”

Phil didn’t answer, and Dan didn’t answer for him. Phil continued staring into his wine glass and it slowly began to bubble with heat.

“That’s enough wine for you,” Dan decided, gently plucking the glass from Phil’s hand. He handed it to Jimmy, who immediately swore quietly and set the boiling glass on a table. “I’ll see you Wednesday,” he said, smiling up to Mr. Halstead.


	13. Jordan

"Wow. It looks so different empty." Dan looked around, somehow in more awe than when he’d last been in the building. "Aren’t your staff here?"

Mr. Halstead smiled, offering Dan a glass of wine. "Most of the servants you saw that night were hired help. I have a few people who come around from time to time and clean for me, but for the most part, I live on my own."

Dan sipped the wine. It was bitter to the taste, but if Dan was going to get through this night he'd better get used to it. It’d be a lot easier if he was drunk.

He tried for a smile. "I’m glad. This would be awkward if you were married."

"It would be. Besides, I would never cheat like that. I have morals." As he spoke, he moved closer to Dan, until Dan was practically trapped against the wall.

Dan ignored his racing heart. "Mm. I love a man with morals."

Mr. Halstead leaned in for a kiss, and Dan closed the gap, knowing that was what he was supposed to do. He had to get this man to be a major sponsor.

It was as if he could read his mind. "By the way... I still want to sponsor you in the arena."

"Hmm. No."

He laughed. "I knew you’d say that. Which is why I’m going to spend the rest of the night convincing you to let me be a major sponsor."

Dan smiled slyly. "I hope that’s not all you’re doing tonight. I was actually kind of looking forwards to dinner."

"Really. Because I was more excited for dessert."

The innuendo wasn’t lost on Dan, who giggled playfully. He tried to move himself back more, clutching onto the edge of the small table next to him and squeezing.

"But let's start with dinner. How does that sound?" He moved back, giving Dan some space to pry himself off of the wall.

"Amazing." Dan took his arm, letting him lead him down one of the hallways.

"I know you’re nervous, but don’t be."

"Oh, it’s just the competition-"

"No one knows you’re here. I made sure of that. I promise you, you’re perfectly safe."

Dan tried to smile. That wasn’t what he was worried about.

————

Dinner was probably very good. Dan didn’t taste any of it. It was as if his taste buds decided to take the night off, like _yeah, you’re a mess. You don’t need us right now._

They made conversation. Mr. Halstead was a definite gentleman: he pulled out Dan’s chair for him, poured his wine, offered him more food, all of which he’d made on his own. The entire house was lit with candles and torches. When Mr. Halstead said they were alone, he meant they were alone; the shadows were as consistent as Dan’s ever-growing dread.

They had dessert too, though Mr. Halstead reassured that was not what he meant when he said he was excited for dessert. It was something grayish brown and soft. It was made with dairy, apparently, which was more expensive than the wine they drank. Apparently, in Ancient Rome they drank wine instead of water, since the water was so easily polluted. Mr. Halstead was interesting and Dan liked talking to him. He was a good person.

They were in the hallway. He gently bit along Dan’s neck, holding him still and Dan was panting, even though he’d hardly done anything yet. The man tugged his shirt lower, nipping along his collarbones, and Dan made some sort of noise that was apparently taken as enjoyment. "Do you like this?"

Responses rushed through Dan's head but the only thing that came out was another little whine, which again, was taken as affirmation. He shouldn’t have drunk so much, Dan realized, he shouldn’t have drunk at all. He’d only had one glass, but still his hands trembled.

Though that probably had more to do with the man pulling his shirt up than the wine.

He kissed him, pushing him back and biting his lip. They weren’t in the bedroom, they were in the hallway, but Dan didn’t suppose it mattered, not to Mr. Halstead at least.

He was going further and he was a good man, he really was, he was asking if Dan was okay with it and Dan knew if he said no then the man would stop, Mr. Halstead would stop, but he also knew that he’d probably lose his sponsorship. The correct answer was yes, so that’s what Dan said.

His hands were sweating, which felt wrong. Dan hardly ever sweated, but this wasn’t the type of sweat that happened when you were too hot, it was just the opposite. It was a cold sweat.

"Mmm. You’re skin is so cold, I think I should warm you up."

Dan’s hand hit the wall and left a patch of ice in his wake.

"Dan, you’re really cold. Dan... Dan! Ow!"

————

Dan sprinted out of the villa, almost colliding with Jimmy. "We have to get out of here!"

"What happened? Did he-"

"Jimmy, come on!" Dan clambered into the chariot, immediately collapsing on the floor, shaking so badly he couldn’t even stand. "Go!"

Jimmy climbed in behind him, flicking the reins and urging the horses into a gallop, the chariot lurching forwards as they gained speed. Dan pressed himself against the chariot, his entire body trembling. Jimmy didn’t complain as frost covered the entire interior of the chariot. It was snowing and a few people were looking up in wonder.

"We'll be home soon," Jimmy reassured.

"No-o!" Dan’s voice broke halfway through. "Go to the bakery."

"The big one?"

Dan nodded, curling into himself. The bottom of the chariot was like a freezer, and Jimmy tried rubbing his legs together to create some sort of warmth.

Dan fell into a sort of trance as the chariot thundered over the brick roads. He clutched his hands to his chest, doing everything he could to avoid touching Jimmy.

Soon the chariot turned, slowing to a stop. "It’s closed. You weren’t wanting bread?"

Dan shook his head. After Jimmy got out he carefully climbed out, keeping his head down. "I don’t know what we’re looking for, just that it’s here."

"Dan-"

Dan went ahead, and maybe Jimmy realized that he wasn’t listening and didn’t say anything else, or maybe he actually kept talking and Dan just didn’t hear him. It didn't matter. Within moments, Dan found the hole in the wall and before Jimmy could object further, ducked through it, sprinting into the darkness.

"Dan! Wait, stop-!"

Dan sprinted faster, the air feeling cleaner than it ever had before. Surrounded by trees that loomed over him, the shadows too dark to see through, he ran. He should have been terrified, but after what had happened- what he had done- the only thing that scared him anymore was being back there.

Jimmy tackled him and they rolled, all pine needles and frozen ground and shadows. They fell apart and Jimmy was on his knees, eyes screwed shut. "Dammit! Ow, shit you’re cold."

Dan scrambled to his feet but before he could start running again Jimmy grabbed his ankle, tripping him. Jimmy cussed again, quickly retracting his hand and shaking it. "Dan, stop. Tell me what happened, and we can come up with a plan, you can’t just run away."

Dan scrambled to his feet, still looking badly shaken. "We’re not going to get Mr. Halstead as a sponsor. And I’m not running away. I’ve had this before, and I can’t... I can't just go back to my room! I can’t!" Dan jerked his hands up as if to use his powers, then quickly dropped them. "Fuck. /Fuck./" He covered his face, then dropped his hands like he didn’t know what to do with them.

Jimmy carefully got to his feet, brushing the pine needles off. "We need to go back tonight. You fight in the morning."

"Okay. Okay, we can go back. But not now... I can’t-" Dan’s voice broke. "Fuck."

"Okay. Let’s keep going then, alright?"

Dan nodded, immediately started ahead. All of the air around him was freezing cold, and glittering crystals of ice glided around him. Jimmy tried to move to walk beside him, but he was too cold.

It was hardly another minute before they found what they were looking for. Dan gave Jimmy a quick look of warning before running over to one of the tents, unzipping it and startling Phil. "What-"

"I messed up," Dan whimpered. He crawled into the tent and zipped the flap closed behind him, immediately climbing into Phil’s arms. Phil didn’t recoil at his skin, just hugging him closely, his own skin hotter than normal. Dan buried his face in Phil’s shirt, still trembling horribly. "And everytime I think of it I feel sick."

Phil seemed wide awake, holding Dan up gently. "What happened?"

"I killed someone. Mr. Halstead."

"What?"

"I was over for dinner and he kissed me and I liked him even if I only wanted his money and then other things were happening and I lost control of my powers and and..." he paused, his mouth open in an empty breath. "And... he’s dead."

Phil didn’t say anything for a few long moments. "Why’d you come here?" His voice was low with sleep.

"Couldn’t be alone."

"You’ve got Jimmy."

"I burned him when I touched him. Well, it was cold, but... I’m not making any sense."

Phil clutched him a little harder. Dan didn’t care. He would’ve been okay if Phil held him so tight he suffocated.

Phil ruffled his hair gently. "I know this might sound rude but... I don’t know why you’re so upset. He wasn’t the first person you killed."

"I didn’t mean to," Dan said quietly. "And... I liked him. He was nice, a nice person. It feels wrong that he... that I... /fuck/." He buried his face back in Phil’s shirt.

A thump was heard outside, and some talking that didn’t sound pleasant. Both Dan and Phil looked up. Dan realized a moment later than he should have known what it was.

He scrambled out of the tent, sprinting over to the sound. He made eye contact with Jimmy, who was fine, except for the knife held up to his neck. A girl stood in front of him, speaking threateningly.

Dan ran over, slamming into her shoulder and grabbing her wrist, trying to grapple the knife out of her hand but not expecting her to drop it with a yelp. She backed up, grabbing at her wrist, and that was when Dan saw her face.

"Jordan!"

Dan spun around just as the ground around his feet rose up, trying to encase him in tar, but it was moving too slowly, becoming frozen around his legs. He kicked free, the tar gone to ice. A figure ran towards him, but stopped when she saw him. "What are you doing here?"

Dan straightened. "Nothing. I just came to see-" he stopped, looking where Phil had gone, only to find him kneeling by Jordan, comforting her. Dan turned back to Emma, a little less confident. "We were just leaving."

"That’s probably a good idea." Emma came closer, her eyes catching on Jimmy. "Who’s this?"

"My friend."

"James Marbury," Jimmy offered. "But you can call me James."

Emma pushed up her glasses. "PJ’s going to be up any moment. I’d go if I were you."

Dan was about to object when he saw where she was looking. He turned and caught Jordan’s fractured gaze. She looked just like she used to, except she held herself differently. She still looked strong, but there was no control behind the strength, just aggression. She looked at Dan like she was looking at something directly in front of- or rather, something directly behind him. "They’re chasing me and I’m running and everything is catching on fire and I’m so sorry-"

Phil hugged her closer, shushing her quietly.

"Jordan?" PJ's voice.

That ice returned to Dan’s veins, his heart pumping twice as hard to push it. "Jimmy?"

"I'm right behind you."

Emma rushed over to Jordan, supporting her as Phil got to his feet.

Then Dan was running, back the way they’d come, through the darkened foliage and shadows that lapped at his clothes. With every step, he became closer to a shadow himself until he couldn’t tell his feet from the ground.

They slowed to a light jog as the looming wall came into view. Dan fell into step with Jimmy, who was as pokerfaced as ever. "You good?"

"She didn't cut me, which is good. I hate getting my throat slit on a Thursday," Jimmy said blandly.

Dan cracked what was almost a smile. "Go inside? I’ll be right there."

"Is he coming with us?"

Dan gave a small shake of his head.

Jimmy begrudgingly agreed, and Dan trailed behind as he slipped through the hole in the wall. Phil was panting when he came to a stop next to him, and Dan supposed he was panting too. His entire body was slightly numb, with a strange buzzing feeling clouding over his senses. He supposed is could have been adrenaline- from what? The threat of PJ fucking him over for messing with Jordan? Being back at camp? Or maybe just the fact that not half and hour ago, he’d killed a man that he’d kissed?

Phil's chest rose and fell as he looked at Dan.

"You didn’t tell me they hated me."

Phil caught his breath, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "They don’t. It’s mostly just PJ... you know how it is."

"He still blames me for Jordan?"

Phil snorted instead of answering, which was an answer in itself.

Dan crossed his arms, looking up at the moon through the sliver of clear sky. "Do you hate me for killing Mr. Halstead? You know... the whole morals thing."

"It’s not the worst thing you’ve ever done."

Dan exhaled. "He’s the third person I’ve ever kissed. I know it doesn’t make any difference, but... it does to me. It feels dirty." Phil didn’t say anything. "You were the first, in case you were wondering."

"And the second?"

Dan shook his head. He bit his tongue, thinking. "Listen... tomorrow I have my first fight of the championships, or whatever the hell you want to call them. Everything will be getting more intense these next few weeks."

Phil was still looking at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. And... and I don’t know the words, okay? But... about us."

"About us."

Dan reached over his hand, and Phil took it without hesitation. As he moved in, Phil gave him a light kiss. "About us..." Dan repeated. "I can’t... commitment? It won’t work, not this week, not... with the city, not with..."

"Jimmy?" Phil offered.

"Maybe. Everything is too... right now, and I.... /care about you/, but... do you know what I mean?"

Phil sighed. "I wish I did. But... I think I get it. Good... luck tomorrow. Stay safe."

Dan pressed a lingering kiss to Phil’s lips before pulling away altogether. "Yeah. Yeah, I’ll do that. I’ll... Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

Dan was tiredly smiling by the time he’d ducked back into the city, making his way back over to the chariot. "You look happy," Jimmy observed. "Hope you didn’t do anything stupid?"

Dan couldn’t wipe the smile all of the way off, no matter how hard he tried. "Nah. I’ve already met my quota for stupidity tonight."

"Aw, don’t underestimate yourself. I have faith in your stupidity."


	14. Mandy

“How'd you become good at this?” Dan asked, watching Mandy pull out another arrow, taking her time to load it.

“I took an archery class as a kid. Then, at the other camp when I got to choose out a weapon, it was the only one that stood out to me.”

She offered him the bow, and Dan took it, adjusting the quiver on his back. “I guess you were pretty good at hiding your powers then?”

“Showed up late. I was almost 17, and by then everything was getting more dramatic so I just kept it hidden. Had a few girlfriends and a boyfriend I told, but that was it.”

“How’d you avoid the vaccine?”

“I went to get it, but I lived in basically the middle of nowhere and they were out. Lucky me, huh? Pull your arm back more.”

Dan followed her advice, forcing the bowstring further back. He adjusted his fingers and released the arrow, which flew straight- straight past his target and into the woods.

“Nice. You show a lot of promise.”

“Hey, I told you I wasn’t any good at archery. Last I checked, you were supposed to be teaching me.”

Mandy peered into the woods, but the arrow was gone. “You’re not all bad, you just suck at aiming. If you look down the arrow, you’re supposed to see your target.”

“Yeah? And what if your target’s moving?” Dan snapped.

“Why don’t you start running and I’ll show you?” Mandy yanked the bow out of Dan’s grip, and he had to resist the urge to try and fight her for it. Ever since he’d started fighting in the arena, he’d found it was harder to let people mess with him in the same way. When he’d had his first sponsor tell him he was pretty Dan was ready to break the guys arms.

Mandy loaded the bow and pointed it right at Dan’s face, smiling evilly.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned. “Jimmy would be so pissed if you inconvenienced him by killing me.”

“I don’t doubt it. The knob in the center of that the birch behind you.”

Dan turned just as she released the arrow, it embedding itself in the bark only a few inches from the knob she’d aimed at. Mandy cursed, knocking another arrow and shooting it, this one a bit closer.

“Look down the shaft of the arrow,” Dan advised. “It helps with aim.”

“Screw off.” Mandy released a third one, this one just hitting the knob. She lowered her bow, looking pleased. “I meant to ask earlier, but what’s with your face?”

“It’s nice, it’s it?” Dan joked, posing. The skin around his left eye was puffy and red, but it wasn’t so bad that it was swollen shut. “Got punched, obviously, fighting this morning. They were a weakling.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. How bad did you lose?”

“You know, you’re supposed to be nice,” Dan complained. “What’s with the ‘tude?”

“The ‘tude?” Mandy mocked. “What are you, my mother?”

“If I was your mother, I’d comment on the bruise on your neck. What’s the name of that girl you’re sharing a tent with? Harley?”

“Helen, and she’s very straight.”

“I believe you.”

“We haven’t done anything.”

“Yeah, totally. Give me the bow.” He took the bow from Mandy, who was too preoccupied to fight it. “So that’s a strictly platonic hickey?”

“Not a hickey. It’s a rash.”

“Wow, and I thought it looked like a bruise. Ignore me. I don’t know bruises very well.” Dan aimed an arrow and shot it. It bounced off a tree, flinging itself towards the ground.

Mandy adjusted her collar to hide the bruise. “Does Phil know you’re here?”

Dan let another arrow fly. “He’s not my keeper.”

“Jimmy, then? He actually is your keeper, right?”

“Handler.”

“Patato.” Mandy reached out for the bow and Dan handed it back to her.

Dan watched as she expertly reloaded, taking her time to aim the arrow. “Why would it matter if Phil knew anyways? It’s not like we’re doing anything scandalous.”

“Yeah right,” Mandy snorted as she released the arrow. It, of course, stuck.

“Well, we’re not, unless you’re planning on jumping me-”

Mandy looked at him, judging whether or not he was serious. “Dan, I’m helping you train for the arena. I’m teaching you how to _kill_ other mutants.”

“Not kill, bruise,” Dan argued, “we aren’t allowed sharp weapons. All of the arrows are blunt, they’re no good for killing.”

“Yeah, especially not with that aim.”

“I’m going to freeze that smug smile right off your face,” Dan threatened.

“Mm, freeze me daddy.”

“I’m leaving.”

Mandy slung her bow over her back, taking out an arrow and polishing it on her shirt smugly. “But what _does_ your keeper think of Phil?”

“They’re best friends.”

Mandy snorted. “Cute.”

\-----------

“Has PJ said anything new about me?” Dan asked, his hand twitching towards Phil but not touching his hand yet.

“I don't think so. I haven't…” he stopped himself there, cutting himself off. “How’s Jimmy?”

“Fine. Very intense lately, now that the fighting has started. What were you saying about PJ?”

Phil hesitated. “He’s… out for a few days, has to go… collect supplies.”

“Supplies? Why, Alexandria has everything-”

“No, it doesn’t,” Phil interrupted. “And don’t tell Mandy I told you. She’d be pissed if she realized you knew.”

“I don’t even know _what_ I know.”

“You were saying about Jimmy?”

Dan sighed, dropping it. “I already told you.” They fell into a silence for a few moments, Dan not wanting to tell Phil how Jimmy hadn’t even wanted him to be out in public alone, and Phil clearly not wanting to tell Dan about whatever was going on with PJ. “My chest really hurts,” Dan complained, putting a hand over his left side, right at the bottom of his rib cage. “The girl I fought this morning found a rock on the arena floor and was able to cut me with it. I don’t even know how she found one so sharp, but it went right through my shirt.”

Phil was scowling.

“What?”

“Nothing. Are you okay?”

“‘M fine. It’s not even that bad.” Dan tilted his head, watching Phil carefully. “Are _you_ okay?” He tried to subtly reach for Phil’s hand, but he crossed his arms.

“Did I tell you about Angie? She’s growing up. Did you know she’s fifteen?”

Dan tried picturing her in his head. The little girl with the tangled brownish-blonde hair, running around with Troy or the other younger mutants. “That’s not very grown up,” he managed.

“Yeah, but I always thought she was nine or something. She’s going out on her own now. No longer just a little girl. And she’s been practicing her powers too, they’re getting more impressive.”

“Good for her.”

“A lot of us kept practicing our powers after you left.”

Dan straightened. “Together?”

Phil hesitated. “No. In secret.”

“Right. Because being a mutant is a dirty secret.”

“Dan-”

“It’s fine. You don’t like the fact that I use my powers, I don’t like the fact that you pretend you don’t have powers.”

They kept walking. “It isn’t that you use your powers,” Phil tried to backtrack. “You know that.”

“It’s that I use them to hurt other mutants, right?”  
  
“Yes- no- I don’t like that you’re hurting anyone!” Phil huffed, pushing his fringe back in annoyance. “It doesn’t matter to me that they’re mutants, not that much. I mean, we were searching for mutants for years and hardly ever finding them, and then you find the jackpot but instead of helping them, you fight them?” Dan tried to interrupt, but Phil didn’t give him the chance. “Listen, that’s not the point. It’s bad, but it’d still be bad even if it was humans you were fighting.”

Dan swallowed. “No, it wouldn’t. It’d be good, because they’d deserve it.”

Phil was quiet for a few seconds. “I was wondering where that part of you went. You always hated humans so much, and then you disappear and a few months later you’re friends with one?”

“That’s different.”

“Yeah? So you’re saying you wouldn’t kill Jimmy?”  
  
“Of course not! I would never kill someone I know.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t know that guy then? Mr. Halstead?”

Dan looked at him. “That was different. It was an accident.”

“But you knew him?”

Dan remembered the villa, the beautiful gardens and the lovingly designed architecture. “Hardly. But it still wasn’t right.”

Phil shook his head. “I think that’s where you and I differ. I don’t want to hurt any person-”

“Person is an ambiguous word,” Dan reminded him. “Say either mutant or human-”

“No, I meant to say person,” Phil snapped. “What's the difference? One gene? A chromosome, maybe? The only differences between us and humans are the ones that people only chose to point out to hurt us.”

“That’s not true,” Dan argued. “I have ice powers. That’s pretty different from being a human without any powers.”

“Maybe. But what about Seth? He can read and write in any language, does that make him a mutant or just a talented human?”

“That’s different-”

“And do you remember the Olympics? The best athletes in the entire world. You think they were incredible humans or average mutants?”

“Phil, you’re taking it out of context.”

“Am I?”

“When I attacked those cities, I was killing bad people, people who hate people like us.”

Phil stopped completely, turning towards Dan. “And why do you think that?”

“I don’t know, maybe because they literally massacred us!”

“ _They_ didn’t. I don’t know who designed that serum and I’ll never understand why, but it was not a city’s worth of people.”

“That wasn’t the only time. Humans outcast us Phil, or don’t you remember?”

Phil shook his head. “I remember, but I refuse to let it mean anything. If I didn’t do that then I’ll be just as miserable as you.”

“I’m not miserable!”

Phil clenched his fists. “No, you’re just a killer. And maybe freezing over an entire city of men, women and children means nothing to you, but to me, that’s murder. I don’t care if they were human or mutant, it was cold blooded murder.”

“I literally have ice powers, what did you expect? For me to be warm and loving?”

Phil shook his head in defeat, sighing. “I don’t know.”


	15. Harry

Across the room, Jimmy was talking to a shorter boy. He looked over to where Dan was sitting, gesturing him over.

“He looks kind of young to be a sponsor,” Phil commented blandly. They were at another party with couches and wine, like the first one Dan had brought Phil to.

Dan laid against Phil’s chest, groaning. “Not a sponsor. I can’t get any more sponsors now that the competition has begun. Right now Jimmy just wants to get more people to root for me.”

Jimmy gestured for Dan again and he sighed, climbing up off of Phil. “Ugh.”

“I’ll come too,” Phil decided, yawning. “Signal if you want me to go.”

They started walking over, slipping in between the scattered couches. “What's the signal?”

“You could give me a look.”

“Or I could step on your foot,” Dan suggested. “Or maybe zap you with some ice? That’d be more subtle.” Dan smiled as they approached the table.

“This is Dan, the mutant I was telling you about,” Jimmy introduced. “Dan, this is Harry.”

The boy looked a bit younger than them, with a tiny nose and black floppy hair emerging from underneath a beanie. “Hey,” Harry said, offering his hand to shake.

Dan pretended to care. “Sorry, I don’t think you want to shake my hand. My powers are a little excited at the moment.”

Phil turned to him, smiling actually genuinely. His shoulder brushed against Dan’s side, the casual touch so seamless. Dan missed casual touch. “Hi, I’m Phil, and you probably don’t want to shake my hand either,” he joked.

Luckily, Harry laughed. “It’s fine, I know what you mean.” His sleeve slipped down for a second, revealing a black taped wrist. “Though my powers are less harmful and more annoying.” He opened his palm and a small pile of dust swirled into existence. “Dirt powers.”

The gears in Dan’s brain immediately started turning. “You fighting in the arena? I bet you could really make that work.”

Jimmy smiled proudly. “That’s exactly what I had said! See Harry?”

The boy shook his head, smiling. “My powers aren’t very strong. And it’s not like I’m going to dirt someone to death.”

“Well I don’t know. I fought this one guy who could make holes open up in the arena floor, do you think you could do that?”

“I’ve never really tried.”

“Or if you can will dirt to move, you could trip someone, or bury them alive.”

Phil coughed. Jimmy wasn’t smiling anymore. “Phil, you’re steaming.”

Phil took a small step to the side so he wasn’t touching Dan anymore and the steam stopped immediately, though Dan could still feel the warmth radiating off of him, hotter than normal.

Harry looked in between them. “Anyways… Jimmy says you fight in the arena?”

“Yeah, I have ice powers and use a crowbar.”

“A crowbar? That’s interesting.”

Phil crossed his arms and Dan smiled pleasantly, willing it to start snowing above Phil’s head. It did, though Phil didn’t seem to notice at first. By the time the snow touched his skin it sizzled and evaporated.

Dan decided to be less subtle, looking over at Phil. “Get us more wine, yeah?”

“Yeah.” Phil said, quickly turning around.

“Oh yeah, that sounds like a great idea,” Jimmy teased, rolling his eyes playfully. “Only a little bit more wine in your system and it’ll start snowing for real.”

“Please no, I don’t want to be a snowman!” Harry joked.

They all laughed. Dan was so bloody _pleasant_ and the bottoms of his shoes felt like they were turning to ice, but he kept smiling.

“But don’t worry about Phil,” Jimmy consoled easily. “He’s a bit of a hot head.”

“Literally,” Dan agreed.

Phil came up behind him, handing him one wine glass and then setting his chin on Dan’s shoulder, his breath warm on his neck. “Don’t be giving away all of my secrets,” he hummed, only loud enough for Dan to hear.

“Thanks for the wine,” Jimmy said, taking the glass out of Phil’s hand and handing it over to Harry, taking Dan’s glass for himself. “You sure you don’t want any?”

“Actually, I had wanted some. But it looks like the dirt man is already drinking mine.”

“The dirt man,” Dan mused. “I don’t know, I’m sure you could find a catchier name than that. The Dust Cloud?”

“The Dust Storm, maybe?” Jimmy suggested, sipping his wine. “Harry, have Dan hold your cup for a moment, it tastes way better cold.”

“Hmm, that seems fake.”

Dan took his glass, swirling it lightly. Phil wrapped his arms around Dan’s midsection, his chin still on his shoulder. Dan handed the glass back to the dirt boy. “Here.”

He sipped it. “Hmm, I think you might be onto something James.”

“What’d I tell you?”

They talked casually for another minute or so before Dan was able to excuse them. He and Phil walked away, Phil intertwining their hands together. “Possessive much?” Dan teased.

“That was so rude of James- Jimmy- I don’t even know. Let’s go get more wine.”

Dan raised his eyebrows. “It wasn’t rude. You’re never supposed to serve yourself before someone else, unless they’re lower in seniority than you.”

“Lower in seniority?”

“Let’s go get that wine-”

Phil pulled him back. “Lower in seniority?” He repeated.

“A mutant,” Dan translated. “The polite thing in that situation would be to give Jimmy a glass first, as the only human, and then give Harry one, as the guest. Then you could get wine for us.”

“Hmm.”

“I don’t care,” Dan tried to backtrack. “The only reason I know this at all is because Jimmy taught me how to play nice. No one wants to sponsor an asshole.”

“I guess.”

Dan stopped Phil, making him look at him. “Hey. Stop moping. Some things are shit, but some things have always been shit.”

Phil sighed, nodding. “You’re right. It’s just… I don't know. I think everything’s finally processing, and I’m still figuring out how to deal with it.”

“Good. Because I miss nice Phil.”

“Nice Phil?”

“You know.” Dan smiled at the memory, moving a little closer to Phil, just enough alcohol in his veins to make personal space a non factor. “Nice Phil. Playing with the younger mutants, always joking and making fun of the situations, sweet and friendly and all that other shit I don’t know how to do.”

“Mmm. You know how to be friendly.”

Dan bit his lip. “Can I tell you a secret?” Phil nodded, and Dan leaned closer, murmuring in Phil’s ear, “It’s all an act. I can't stand being pleasant, and I’m no good at being friendly. I’d rather fight Harry than smalltalk with him.”

Phil giggled. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. I’m so much better at hurting people than having relationships with them.”

“Yeah? And what does that make us?”

Dan pulled back enough to be able to see Phil’s eyes. “Well, we already decided we’re not in a relationship.”

“So I guess you’re hurting me then?”

“Probably.” Dan smiled, his eyes half closed. “I know I’m supposed to tell you I’ll always take care of you and protect you and shit, but honestly, being around me is probably not in your best interest. I’m going to fuck you up and screw you over, Phil, and if you don't think that’s true then you haven’t been paying attention.”

  
—————

 _Jimmy-_  
I’ll meet you at the arena 2morrow b4 the fight  
-D 

  
Dan peeled his shirt off, tossing it in the corner of the tent. Phil quickly followed suit and soon they were kissing, both gripping on to each other as if they could hold each other tightly enough to keep them planted on the ground. One of Dan’s hands was on Phil’s neck, fingers gripping it and digging into his hair. The other was on the side of Phil’s face, gripping so tightly Dan could feel his bones.

Phil’s arms were wrapped around Dan’s bare back, his touch sending warmth traveling around Dan’s entire body. Dan could never be cold again, not with Phil touching him like that. His skin glowed with the chill, leaving chilly handprints against Phil’s skin.

They kept kissing until they couldn’t keep their balance and then toppled onto Phil’s sleeping bag, not even breaking contact as they continued kissing. This kissing wasn’t so harsh; it was gentle touches and soft skin, hand rubbing bared shoulder and moving against each other naturally.

And Dan forgot his powers. He didn’t have to be anything, no Ice Prince, no performer for the people in and out of the arena. Just Dan.

Chests rose and fell against each other. A warm taste, like hot cocoa and toasted marshmallows and tea, warm breath, warm taste, warm boy. Everything was so normal and so different at the same time. The same two boys, the same contradictory powers, the same context as before; but one of the boys now had black tattoos curling up his spine and they both had black taped up wrists. What had once been denied was now embraced, and it was a sick, sick feeling that tasted like milk and honey. Dan’s curly hair was greasy as Phil ran his fingers through it and their kisses were slowing until they halted altogether, all rising chests and soft skin and greasy hair. It was a sick, sick feeling, the lumps in their throats and their lips that knew no other purpose than kissing. Words were forgotten, just touch. Warmth and cold. There was a thin layer of moisture lining the tent, the contrasting temperatures creating a sort of cold humidity that didn’t make sense.

So much didn’t make sense, and they just wanted it to make sense. If Phil looked past Dan to the fabric wall of the tent he could imagine people standing there, Mandy with her freckled nose and PJ with his jaw set and Emma, tilting her chin up and revealing the scar running along the length of her neck, and all of them had their arms crossed. There were others too, a boy with black hair sighing in defeat, his arms hanging limply by his sides and his face tilted towards the ground.

Dan looked over Phil’s shoulder, at the other side of the tent. There stood Jimmy, and Dan’s imagination made him slightly transparent, but it was him all the same. Jimmy leaned against a table with his arms crossed, but he looked towards the sky, towards the stars and the moon. Behind him were couches and blurred out tables with people talking and laughing, no voices discernible from the crowd. Wine glasses clinked and the lights were low enough for everyone to hide in their foggy brains away from the daylight. A boy stood in the middle of it, close enough for Dan to see. Dark hair and shirtless. The people around him talked happily and admired the tattoos but were oblivious to the bruises.

Another boy walked past them, his face contorted with anger. He threw down a wine glass which seamlessly shattered the scene into frozen shards of ice.

Phil held him a little tighter, rubbing his back soothingly. Everything hurt, buzzing in a warm sort of numbness. Moths flew up from his lungs and his heart, all with a different secret to share but Dan had forgotten how to open his mouth and let words come out.

He exhaled and the moths dissolved into dust.

Phil was very warm. It felt so familiar, the type of familiar that he couldn’t control and the type of familiar that he couldn’t have.


	16. The Archer

Phil was so goddamn warm and Dan was absolutely living for it. Somewhere in the darkness and the warmth Dan drifted off, sleeping better than he had in what must have been months. He woke up groggy and slightly delirious with bliss, all tangled hair and pink cheeks. Phil had turned The Ice Prince into a puddle of soft, warm and fluffy and Dan wasn’t particularly interested in going back.

He laid in the sleeping bag with Phil, playing with his hair, still too tired to so much as sit up. It wasn’t pitch black outside, but the sun wasn’t fully up yet either. They were in that time of day that was just empty, with no people, no time, nothing. Sometimes empty was good, needed. The emptiness of contentment, the emptiness of sleep.

Dan had drifted back to sleep at some point but was awoken at the sound of the tent flap being unzipped. He stayed perfectly still, curled up against Phil’s chest as the flap unzipped all the way and a face appeared.

“We’re going to be late,” Jimmy spat. His eyes drifted over the situation, Dan and Phil both bare chested and curled up together. “Come on. Get dressed, and then we’ll head out.”

He closed the flap again and Dan sighed, pulling himself up. He found his shirt and pulled it back on as quickly as he could, snagging his shoes and tying them.

“Dan?” Phil’s tires voice said, still heavy with sleep.

“I have to go,” Dan whispered. “I’ll see you later.”

“Do you want me to come with?” Phil asked, his eyes still closed.

Dan bit his lip a little guiltily. “I’m going to the arena.”

“I know. I could watch. Moral support, mmm.” He snuggled back into his pillow.

Dan pressed his lips together trying to contain himself. “Thanks Phil. But you should go back to sleep, I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Phil mumbled in agreement and Dan crawled over, pressing a small kiss to his forehead. Then he climbed out of the tent, zipping it back up behind him and walking into the woods. Jimmy wasn’t visible, but after a few steps he reappeared behind a tree. “Let’s go, I was serious about being late.”

“Who am I fighting today?” Dan asked as they jogged up the hill.

“A newbie. I didn’t recognize the name, but it seems like they’ve been doing well.”

“I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

“Don’t get too cocky,” Jimmy reminded him as the wall came into view. “Only a few more days until the roster is posted, and as long as you remain undefeated you’re guaranteed a spot in the next round.”

“I’ll win, don’t worry.”

Within ten minutes, they were entering the arena, running through one of the hidden corridors to get to the room where Dan would get ready. There, Dan just had enough time to change and wash his face before the announcer was calling out his name and the garbled name of his opponent and the gate was opening.

Jimmy tossed him the crowbar and wished him luck, and then Dan was entering the arena, processing everything at once. Cheering crowd, packed dirt floor, a brighter sun than what had been out five minutes ago, and an opponent walking towards him. He walked closer, trying to log her features into his mind. She had brown hair pulled back into a neat braid and wore pants and a brown tank top, a bow and quiver of blunt arrows on her back. It was only as she got closer that Dan was able to register the smaller details: spattering of freckles across her nose, the familiar shape of the bow as she pulled it off of her back, loading it as easily as second nature.

Dan stopped walking, his crowbar feeling heavier in his hand. “You can’t be serious.”

Mandy drew the arrow back, in no rush to fire. Her expression was calm and calculated, waiting for Dan to move.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Dan called out.

Mandy didn’t respond. Dan looked down the shaft of her arrow, his brain processing her loosening grip before his eyes even did, and just like that he was throwing himself into a forwards roll as the arrow sailed overhead. He tackled her before she could shoot the next arrow, and they went spiraling onto the ground. Dan’s crowbar had been lost somewhere along the way and he grappled with her for her bow, finally yanking it out of her hands and throwing it to the side. Mandy kicked him back, scrambling to her feet with an arrow in her hand, the quiver on the ground. Dan lounged for her but she was ready, trying to bring the heavy tip of the arrow down on him. At the last moment he ducked, sliding on his knees on a pathway of newly formed ice. He chucked a chunk of ice at her back, making her stumble forwards. Dan got back to his feet, grabbing his crowbar and running for her as Mandy turned around, no weapon to protect her. Then Dan slammed face first into a wall of purple energy that thrust him back. Dan skidded on the dirt floor, cupping his nose. “Ow,” he mumbled, gritting his teeth. “Fucking hell.”

“Oops,” Mandy said, stalking towards him. “My bad.”

Dan threw another ice-ball at her, but it just shattered against a forcefield that appeared at the last second, immediately flickering back into disappearance. “My powers aren’t quite under control,” she apologized theatrically. “But I wouldn’t worry. I’ll still beat you.”

The fight went on much longer than it was supposed to. Dan didn’t know the exact time, just that it took far too long. He threw a chunk of ice and it shattered against a new forcefield. She shot an arrow at him and he ducked, or caught it in a wall of ice right before it could hit him. They wrestled and grappled and Dan swung his crowbar and she created walls of energy that’d send waves of force through his entire body upon impact. The floor became ice under her feet and he slammed into her side, sending her to the floor where she badly scraped her cheek, not good at rolling quite yet. Dan’s nose was likely broken, his muscles pushed too far, and Mandy was standing before him with a bloody cheek and a scowl, her once neat hair now a mess. His crowbar was behind her, and she notched another arrow. “Let’s end this. I’m not afraid to play dirty.”

“Neither am I.” Dan whispered a silent apology as he blasted her with snow, winds whopping at her and wrapping it around her until she was completely encased in the stuff. Dan willing the snow to pack right against her skin, trapping her in place and cutting off all of her air, suffocating her. It was dirty, dirty playing; Mandy liked being without oxygen even less than Dan did.

He willed the snow to freeze solid, and the crowd cheered louder than ever as Dan raised his arms in triumph, his friend imprisoned in a coffin of freezing cold ice with no way to breath.

He hurried back to the launch room where Jimmy was waiting. The gate closed and he wrapped his hands around the metal bars, panting as he watched medics run over to Mandy, trying to break her out. It took too long, way too long, but then her head was free and a purple field of energy disappeared as she gasped for breath, her skin salmon pink from the cold. Dan didn’t let go of the gate until she was off the field.

He let go of the gate and Jimmy gently pulled him down to sit on the cot, putting a wet washcloth over his nose and giving him instructions to tilt his head back, a medic was on the way. Dan’s throat felt bloody and raw, but he managed to scratch out “I’m fine, calm down.”

Jimmy had another washcloth and leaned over Dan, cleaning the bottom half of his face. “Shut up, the medic is on the way.” He pulled the washcloth away, covered in blood.

Dan’s eyes followed the red, widening. “I’m bleeding?”

“No shit Sherlock, your nose is broken. Sit back and ice it until the medic comes.”

————-

“Dan, grab me some water? I’ll get the door.”

Dan nodded, going into the kitchen while Jimmy walked to the door. He opened it, revealing a girl shorter than him shrouded by a dark blue cloak. Her entire right cheek was scratched and bloody. “You aren’t allowed to fight outside of the arena,” Jimmy said blandly, blocking her way from coming inside. “Maybe if you make it to the next round you’ll get another chance.”

“I’m not going to fight,” Mandy declared dryly. “But I do need to talk to him.”

“Leave your weapons by the door.”

“I’m not armed.”

“I said, leave your weapons by the door.”

Mandy grumbled, pushing past Jimmy and pulling her bow and quiver off her back from where they’d been hidden beneath her cloak. She propped them by the door, pushing her hood back.

“I like the braid,” Dan comment, leaning against the doorway to the kitchen. “Your face kind of ruins it though.”

“You’re one to talk. How does the nose feel?”

“It feels great. Never better.” Dan walked over to Jimmy, handing him the cup of water. The bridge of Dan’s nose was bandaged, and both of his eyes looked swollen and puffy.

“I don’t remember giving you black eyes.”

“They’re not from you,” Jimmy intervened, “they’re because of the broken nose.”

“Not broken,” Dan corrected. “Almost, but not quite.” He walked over to the small table where they always played poker, sitting at it. “Sit?”

Mandy walked over, sitting across from him.

“How long have you been fighting?”

“This is my third round.”

“And who knows?”

“My handler, and anyone who’s fought or watched me.”

Dan nodded. He’d expected about as much. He gestured to his bandaged nose. “Are you going to say sorry?”  
  
“No.”

“Where’d you get these arrows from?” Jimmy asked, standing over by Mandy's weapons. “These aren’t from the arena.”

“I’d be careful if I were you. Those are sharp.”

Jimmy poked himself on his hand with the top of an arrow. “Wow, they are.”

“Why did you sign up?”  
  
“I wanted to.”

“Why? You don’t need the money, you always just steal what you need.”

“That sounds illegal,” Jimmy commented, still playing with the arrows.

Mandy ignored him. “I can use my powers. Why wouldn’t I?”

“Is there nothing better for you to do?”

“Don’t be a hypocrite Dan.”   
  
“It’s exhausting, and violent, and has a lot of issues. I don’t recommend it.”

“So you’re saying you don’t enjoy fighting?”  
  
“I never said that.”

There was a knock on the door and they both turned to look at it. Jimmy set the arrow down, opening the door to reveal Phil. “Hey James.”

“Dan’s not here right now.”

“Hey Phil,” Dan said, giving him a small wave. Mandy saluted him.

Jimmy moved out of the way, letting Phil in and Phil immediately walked over to their table where they sat. “What happened to your nose?”

“Arena.”

“And Mandy, what happened to your cheek?”

“Honey badger attack,” Dan answered quickly before she could say anything. “They’re brutal.”

“Oh, that’s happened to me before,” Phil mused. “It was actually a squirrel, but you know.”

They both stared at Phil, waiting for him to say he was joking. He didn’t.

“Okay,” Dan decided. “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to hang out with you. We could go on a walk?”

“No can do, I refuse to do any more exercise today.”

“Okay, we could just talk in your room then?”

Jimmy walked behind Phil, mouthing the word ‘talk’ and making quotation marks with his fingers.

“Maybe not,” Dan decided. “Do you want to pull up a stool? The three of us can catch up.”

“Ooh, that sounds like a lot of fun,” Jimmy said. “Mind if I join?” He pulled up a stool, not waiting for an answer.

“Fun,” Dan repeated. “Right.”


	17. The Absence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I reread this this morning and ahhh, I love it. Something I’ve really tried to have prominent in this story is imagery, which I feel is really achieved by this chapter, even if isn’t what you might expect. Enjoy, and please leave a comment letting me know what you think :)

“It’s fine. You’ll be back soon?” Dan asked hopefully, trying to remain poker faced.

“Yeah. Only a few days, PJ needs some help with… his project.”

“You’re still not supposed to tell me?”

“They’d be angry if they even found out I’ve told you this much.”

Dan hummed, leaning back against the tree. “You leave tonight?”

Phil nodded, hugging his arms to his chest. “As soon as I get back to camp.”

“Okay. Don’t… I don’t know. Don’t do anything stupid?”

Phil smiled smally. “You too. Stay safe in the arena.”

“Will do.” Dan hugged his arms to his chest too, glancing to the side to make sure no one was there. Then he stepped forwards, wrapping his arms around Phil in a hug. “I’ll see you in a few days?”

“Yeah,” Phil murmured, hugging him back tightly. They pulled back after a moment, and there was only a small moment of hesitation before Phil leaned forwards and they kissed. Then Phil pulled back. “I’ll see you soon.”

Dan slowly stepped back, leaning against the tree again and watching as Phil left. Soon, he had disappeared into the foliage and Dan shook his head, pushing away from the tree and wandering back up to the wall.

“What’d he want?” Jimmy asked, falling into step with Dan.

“He’s leaving for a few days, doing something with PJ.”

“Oh yeah, that guy. Did I tell you I gave him a tour of the Colosseum?”

Dan shook his head, smiling faintly. “So you can give someone an entire tour of the arena without me knowing, but I can’t even sneak right outside the city walls without you coming with?”

“In my defense, you were sleeping, which you do way more than you probably should. You expect me just to wait around for you to wake up?”

Dan shook his head, sighing. “Speaking of, I’m exhausted. Don’t wake me up until next week, yeah?”

————-

Dan stayed in bed a while after Jimmy woke him up. He could feel his own chest rising and falling slowly, hear his own breath. He watched the strip of light that came in from the open doorway, waiting for it to do something. He tried to move his arms. He probably could. In his mind, Dan tried to stretch out, but in real life he didn’t move.

He was warm and messy and his arms had freckles on them, were those there before? He knew he’d been spending more time in the sun, but still. He knew his cheeks were probably more freckly too.

Dan tried to flex his fingers. One at a time, he forced each finger to bend slightly.

“You’d better be up Dan!” Jimmy called from the kitchen.

Dan pushed himself up, wrapping his comforter around himself and trekking to the bathroom, where he couldn’t stop staring at his own lightly speckled cheeks. When he turned the right way and let his blanket drift off of his shoulder, he could see the tattoos on his back, twisting around with his movements. Back tattoos were weird, because they weren’t really meant to be seen by the person sporting them; they were meant for other people.

Dan pulled the blanket up back over his shoulders and finished up in the bathroom.

He walked into the living area, the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. “Hey, your hair’s getting longer,” Jimmy noted, twisting around and messing with his hair playfully. “What's with the blanket?”

“‘M cold.” Dan said simply, his voice lower than normal with sleep. Jimmy gave him a look, but didn’t question it.

They went through the normal routine, eating breakfast then heading to the arena. Jimmy made Dan leave the blanket at home and actually get dressed. Dan was hypersensitive to the short sleeves and low collar of the black shirt he always wore to the arena. It felt unnecessarily scandalous.

“Do you do that on purpose?” Jimmy asked as they walked to the arena, not looking at Dan. Dan grunted, hoping his meaning came through. _What?_ Jimmy reached out a hand, letting little flakes of snow land on it.

“Oh. I didn’t… it wasn’t on purpose.”

They got to the launch room and Dan ran a hand through his hair, only messing it up further. Jimmy handed him his crowbar and Dan stared at it, the weight feeling different in his hands.

“The edges are sharpened,” Jimmy explained. “You’re in round two of the fighting. Sharpened weapons are allowed, though same rules apply. Don’t end the fight too soon, and try not to kill your opponents with the weapon, if you kill them at all. I’d try to make them bleed as much as you can get away with.”

Dan nodded wordlessly.

“What, you taking a vow of silence or something?”

He shook his head. “I told you. I’m just… cold.”

The fight was announced, and Dan stepped out in the arena. Goosebumps rose up on his entire body, the cold nipping and biting at his skin. He wished he was still in bed. He wished he was _warm_.

His opponent called something over to him, and the audience laughed. Dan frowned, calling back “What?”

“I said, you look well-fucked!”

The audience laughed again, and Dan wondered for a moment if he hated the audience. But he supposed that wasn’t how any of this worked. An actor couldn’t hate his crowd, and this was no different.

“I’m tired,” Dan muttered, too quiet for anyone else to hear. He rubbed his eyes. Why wasn’t he in bed right now? The sun wasn’t even fully up yet.

It was snowing, wasn’t it? Or was that just Dan’s imagination? The audience glittered gray and blue, snow and clouds and the glittery light of sunrise against fog.

His opponent threw something at Dan, but he swiped his hand and the snow flung it to the side. Dan yawned, closing his eyes and smacking his lips. Something else was thrown at him, and when he opened his eyes he found was appeared to be a very sharp frisbee encased in a chunk of ice in front of him.

The crowd murmured and shuffled, not sure what to make of this passive fighting.

“That’s cool, that’s cool. I didn’t want to use those today,” his opponent said, his hands crackling with electricity.

Dan had known a boy once who had power over lightning. Well, not lightning per se- thunder. But he could make some lightning, just a little at a time, and even then it was hard. He was a sweet kid. His name was Naden? No, Nathan. He was always so happy, singing along with Phil as they walked and pranking the other campers with little electrical shocks or booming thunder when they least expected it. He was a sweet kid. It was sad when he died. Was that - was that Dan’s fault? His death hadn’t been pretty, Dan was sure about that, and he had a horrible memory of his skin turning icy blue. Was it Dan’s fault? It probably was. It felt sad, Dan felt sad. He should at least remember who he killed. It wasn’t right.

The crowd screamed and shrieked with surprise and what sounded like horror, but that wasn’t quite right. They didn’t _feel_ that. Horror was aligned with fear or remorse or something, _something_ , and these people didn’t feel that.

Dan looked around and realized that bolts of electricity were dancing around him, swirling in with snow and completely avoiding him. Across the arena, his opponent looked startled.

Dan was tired. He was _so_ tired.

He waited until the electricity died down and then walked forwards, holding his crowbar like a staff. He willed it to stop snowing and instead for the snow on the ground to shift around and float a foot in the air, silver crystals of ice swirling upwards gracefully.

Had Dan gone deaf? It felt as though he couldn’t hear anything. He could hear the snow shifting, he supposed, but his own footsteps were silent, the same as the crowd. His opponent yelled something and it was as if he’d been muted.

Electricity bounced around him, getting close but never quite touching him. Finally, as Dan got closer, one bolt hit his crowbar and went through his entire body, and Dan fell to his knees, shuddering as the painful stinging ricocheted inside him. The pain… well, it hurt. He didn’t feel so cold anymore though.

It stopped, and before his opponent could gloat Dan flung his crowbar at him, it flying tip over tip and hitting him. Dan could hear the clanging of metal on bone.

A shard of ice formed in his hand as he moved forwards, thick and deadly sharp. Dan supposed that if anyone else were holding it, it’d melt in their hands.

He slashed the ice across his opponent’s face. The crowd seemed to be cheering for the blood. Was this normal human behavior? The word ‘human’ ricocheted around Dan’s skull painfully, and he dropped the ice shard.

Had he killed anyone like that before? The image of a knife slitting across a girl’s throat passed through his mind, but no, that was Eli, not him. He should talk to Emma sometime. Apparently she was mostly healed from her throat being slit, but Dan should still probably apologize. It was his fault, right? Surely it was.

More electricity went through him, but his mind was already static. His body was an old television screen with no service, a channel that wasn’t paid for, just numbing static. He was all black, cropped and edited out of his own life.

The electricity tickled at the nape of his neck and in the tips of his toes, but Dan still wasn’t sure if it was a bad feeling.

How had he killed Eli? He’d frozen her, then smashed her with his crowbar, he recalled numbly. So violent, but Dan supposed she’d deserved it.

Dan had probably killed a lot more people than Eli did. What did he deserve?

His opponent struck and attacked him, but Dan didn’t really feel it. He was kicked backwards and landed on his back in the snow, but it didn’t really feel like anything. It felt like it was harder to breathe, and Dan hated that. Ever since Eli, he’d hated being without air even more than before.

He was standing, or crouching, or… something. It hurt to be in the real world, Dan didn’t want to be there. He preferred somewhere else, but he did have an opponent to face. What was he supposed to do again? Kill them? That was always the answer, wasn’t it? How should he do it? He could smash him, like he did Eli. He could freeze him and let him die slowly like he’d done to all those humans, hundreds and… more than hundreds. Too many to count. He could kill him like he killed Nathan. Too much too quick and too late, blue skin and ice and black fingertips.

He was being fought, Dan supposed, but the snow was strong and he didn’t care. His opponent tore at him, but Dan wasn’t there.

So how should he kill him?

He crumpled to his knees as the worst of the electricity cranked through him, tightening his muscles and pricking needles into his skin. It hurt so much, but Dan just wasn’t there.

Why was he so cold?

Dan willed the snow to stop altogether, and for once it listened. Dan swung his crowbar at the boys head and he crumpled. And that was it. Dan was already halfway back to the launch room when he remembered he was supposed to bring the crowbar, but by then it was too late to turn back.

He hadn’t killed his opponent, at least Dan was pretty sure he hadn’t. Guilt ran through his body as freely as electricity. Maybe he should find where the boy would be cared for and send him flowers or something, he knew how much it sucked fighting with a head injury.

When Dan got back into the launch room, Jimmy was nowhere to be found. Dan tried the door, but he was locked in, so eventually he collapsed on the cot, falling asleep to the scent of fresh snow.


	18. Jimmy

  
Dan liked drinking, maybe a bit too much. He wasn’t drunk, but he may as well have been. The edges weren’t softer, but the backgrounds were dimmer, everything up close in a bit better focus. Like Jimmy’s face, his messy light brown hair, and his breaths. Dan could hear breathing and footsteps better than he could hear voices.

“I never drank much before coming here,” Jimmy was saying, or Jimmy had been saying, though each word took extra time to process. “But everyone in Alexandria drinks. I think they water down the wine, though, because I never feel drunk enough.”

They were leaning on each other as they walked, which they could do now that Dan’s powers had given up. Not like they had the one time with the frostbite, but in a much more temporary way. Dan’s powers were almost as exhausted as he was, leaving his skin a soft shade of pink and a normal temperature. He was… he was warm, Dan supposed. And he was too tired to fight it.

“I never drank much either. I just kind of… froze shit.”

They both giggled, and it hurt, just a little, but in a good way. Dan was so tired. He needed a break from the… the thoughts, the… the everything. The edges were still too sharp for his liking.

“Hey, but on a serious note,” Jimmy started. He was never one to completely give in to the numbness, there was always work, always important things. He was insufferable. But, he was also warm, so Dan gave in to it. “I heard some people talking earlier.”

“Jimmy’s been eavesdropping,” Dan said in a singsong voice, staring up at the sky as they walked.

“Jimmy’s been keeping himself… up to date,” Jimmy corrected, talking about himself in the third person. “But they were from a different city. They had spent a week or two traveling here, and they’d found a bunch of cities that had been… destroyed.”

Dan rolled his eyes, smiling a little. “Whatever. Cities get destroyed all the time.”

“Um, what? Do they?”

Dan thought back to his days of wandering. It felt like it had been so long ago. “Yes.”

“These cities were completely frozen over.”

“Sounds like some shitty weather huh?”

“People were…” Jimmy swallowed, collecting himself. “They were frozen to the ground. Not people. Bodies.”

“You’re drunk,” Dan decided. “I want to go to bed.”

“Hey, don’t ignore me.” Jimmy looked around, then quickly pulled Dan into an alley, getting a serious look in his eyes for a moment. “Was that you?”

Dan bit his lip. “Probably.”

“Probably?”

“I mean definitely. Unless there is another ice mutant. Or, um, inclement weather.”

Jimmy crossed his arms. “So… you killed people?”

“Not people. Humans.” Dan winced, realizing a moment too late that Jimmy probably wouldn’t appreciate that distinction. “I froze over some cities. And don’t give me that look, like you’re… sad, or disappointed or some shit. Phil gives me enough of that crap.”

Jimmy nodded. “I won’t then. How… how many cities?”

Dan groaned, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t know, I wasn’t counting.”

“Ballpark?”

Dan hesitated. “Twenty?”

Jimmy bit his lip. “Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“But… how?”

Dan gave him a look. “What do you mean?”

“How’d you kill them?”

“The same way I kill people in the arena. Froze ‘em.”

Jimmy seemed to be pressing himself harder and harder against the alley wall. “Entire cities? What, did you fall into a coma afterwards?” He joked, clearly uncomfortable.

Dan shook his head. “Nah. We usually kept walking after that. Sometimes for a few hours.”

“Wow… it must have been exhausting.”

“Not really. It’s just… snow.” Dan shrugged. It was snowing again, he realized, just barely. “Listen, I’m kind of tired of talking and… thinking… about it. Can we talk about something else?”

Jimmy nodded, though he hadn’t yet pulled himself off of the wall. “How’s Phil?”

“I don’t know, same as he was when he left. You remember when we first met?”

Jimmy smiled fondly, though his arms remained uncrossed. “You were really… coarse. Hated the other mutants I was handling-”

“They were horrible,” Dan argued.

“And your hair was super grown out.”

“Well, I had no one to obsessively give me hair cuts.” There was some sort of ledge jutting out from the wall, and Dan climbed onto it carefully, glancing up at the sky. “I think you were cuter back then.”

“Hey!”

Dan giggled. “I’m not wrong.”

“Rude.”

Dan carefully maneuvered until he was hanging upside down on the ledge, smiling lopsidedly. “Ugh, I’m exhausted. You remember the first night we met?”

Jimmy leaned on the wall, giving Dan a look like _are you sure?_ There was no fooling him; no matter how far ahead Dan was, Jimmy was always two steps in front. “Yeah, I remember. You froze my wine.”

“It was endearing,” Dan reminded him. “And then you threatened to turn me in for not being properly identified as a mutant.”

“I still don’t know how you got past the gates.” Jimmy said. Dan gave him that narrow eyed, clever look, and Jimmy shook his head. “I don’t want to know.”

“And then you took me on a tour of the city,” Dan reminessed. “And we made out.”

That was the part Jimmy was waiting for. He didn’t make eye contact with Dan, instead keeping his eyes trained on the corner of the wall. “But we had to stop,” Jimmy reminded him in a tone that made it sound more like a warning. “Because I was shivering.”

“Oops.” Dan shrugged playfully, still upside down.

“Phil’s coming back soon,” Jimmy reminded him. “In a few days. I bet you miss him.”

“I do.” Even though Dan said the words, his mind was somewhere else completely. “I miss him a lot. We probably… well, I don’t know if we plan to be apart again. Right now we’re not committed to each other by any words, but after the big competition is over…”

“I know what you’re saying.”

Dan gave him a curious look, still upside down. “Do you?”

“You know, one of these days someone’s going to say no to you.”

Dan grinned. “You know who you sound like? Phil.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. He’d told me once that one day, I’d get myself in trouble.”

Jimmy walked forwards slowly, arms still crossed. “Yeah? Is that what this is called?”

Dan watched as he kept coming closer, until they were close enough to press their lips together, kissing sweetly. Jimmy cupped Dan’s face in his hands, holding him gently as Dan clung onto his shirt. The alley was dark, and they didn’t have anywhere better to go, so they kissed as slowly as they wanted, knowing what it would mean when they broke apart.

Finally, they pulled away. Well, Jimmy did. Dan still clung onto his shirt until he couldn’t anymore, letting his arms hang limply.

Jimmy closed his eyes, sighing slowly. Dan looked back up to the sky. It was the same one as it had been earlier.

“That was a goodbye kiss, wasn’t it?”

Dan nodded sadly. “I’m not planning on going anywhere, but…”

Jimmy nodded. “It’s fine. I know.”

They stayed in silence for a few moments. Then Dan carefully swung down, landing back on his feet quietly. “I like closure. You might be the only person I’ve ever gotten it with.”

They started walking on silent agreement. “Parents?”

“Dunno. Back in the U.K. probably. I was in Florida when communication was shut down.”

“You miss them?”

“I should probably miss them more. But, to be honest, I never think of them.”

“That sounds… sad.”

“Who said it wasn’t?” There was a sort of peace that followed them. Everything was dark and quiet, the only light coming from the stars and candles. “What about your parents? You know, I don’t know if you’ve ever told me about your family.”

“And we can keep it that way.”

Dan observed his expression. “You look tired.”

“Who said I’m not?” Jimmy said, playing with what Dan had said earlier.

“It’s okay. I’m tired too.”

————————

Mandy had won the last few fights, meaning she was now in the second round. If they both kept on doing well they’d probably have to fight each other again, but that wouldn’t be for a while.

Dan spent the next day with Mandy and sometimes Jimmy, though he wasn’t as protective over Dan anymore. Dan wasn’t sure whether it was because of the whole massacre thing, or because he was wandering the city with Mandy, not Phil, but he didn’t question it.

Despite doing well in the arena, Mandy was still pretty beat up. So far she’d had two fights where sharp weapons were allowed, and it was apparent. Her arms were badly scratched up, and she had a long cut on her right ear. “When I’m distracted, my force fields always seem to appear a second later than I need them too.”

“I heard there were going to be some changes in the third round. Some dramatic twist or something. You could always drop out before then.”

“Yeah, so could you, Princey. I wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m sure a lot of people won’t mind,” Dan agreed.

Later that evening, Dan was talking to Jimmy at the party they were at, both watching Mandy flirting with an older guy at the bar. “Did she destroy cities too?” Jimmy asked randomly.

“Nah.” Dan scratched his head. “I actually don’t know how many people she’s killed. Or… if she’s killed anyone?” Dan racked his mind, only coming up with one memory that Mandy had shared with him through her force field- the one of her and Eli pressed up against opposite sides of a force field, their foreheads almost touching. “Maybe she killed… no, that was me.”

“What was?”

“Her old girlfriend. I thought she killed her at first, but that’s wrong. She _tried_ to kill her, but I was the one who killed her in the end. That was a bit later, though.”

Jimmy gave him a look. “Are you joking, or-”

“Nah, that was the reason I had to leave camp. I froze her, and then smashed her into pieces with my crowbar. Hey, Mandy!”

Mandy stopped her flirting, sending Dan an annoyed look before coming over. “What?”

“Have you killed anyone before?” Dan asked casually.

“Not on purpose. Listen, my handler said I needed to ‘make friends’ so…”

“Yeah yeah, I get it. Go and keep flirting, Jimmy and I will protect the couch.” Dan patted the empty spot next to him on the couch sincerely, then waved her away.

“Have all mutants killed people?” Jimmy asked, looking a little uncomfortable.

“Probably not. I bet Phil hasn’t.” Dan scratched his ear, thinking. “Actually, I don’t know if that’s true. He was chased out of his city by an angry mob- I always figured it was because of his powers, but now that I’m thinking about it…” Dan shrugged. “There’s really no way to know exactly with Phil. He’s caused a few forest fires and explosions and stuff, so probably?”

Jimmy shook his head. “Cultural differences man.”

“Yeah, it’s really crazy.”

————-

The second round went much quicker than the first, and the next day when Dan came in from his fight he was met with a nervous looking Jimmy.

“I’m fine,” Dan started with, pulling off his mud, sweat and blood stained shirt. Most of the blood was his opponents, but some was his. His opponent had had a small blade of some kind and had gotten a few good moves in, including an impressive slash across Dan’s face, starting at the bridge of his nose and going up his cheekbone, stopping only an inch from his ear. It stung badly, but had hardly broken the skin.

Jimmy tossed him a towel and Dan started drying himself off. “You’d better be fine, you’ve had worse. I just got news about the third round of the competition.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is everyone thoughts on some of the new things that were shown in this chapter? What do you think Jimmy meant by calling it a "goodbye kiss"?


	19. The Shadow

“I thought I told you to take care of yourself,” Phil almost growled, stroking his thumb under the cut on Dan’s cheek. Dan was sitting on his poker stool, with Phil standing in between his knees. Dan wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist, pulling him closer and looking up at him with something that could only be described as adoration.

“I did,” Dan breathed out, his voice lower than normal. “How was PJ? Your secret thing went well?”  
  
“Concerningly well,” Phil grumbled. His thumb swiped under the cut on Dan’s cheek again before he made himself stop, letting his hands fall to Dan’s shoulders. “Why do you have any cuts at all? I thought you only fought with blunt weapons?”

“They were allowed for round two of the competition. The day after tomorrow, I fight my first battle of round three. I made it to round three, Phil.”

“You say that like it’s a good-” Phil stopped when he saw Dan’s face. “Good job. I’m proud.” He leaned down, pressing a kiss onto Dan’s forehead.

Dan looked up at him pleadingly. “It’s going to get harder from here.”

“What are they going to do, send you into the arena with bombs?”

Dan didn’t respond.

“Wait- they’re not actually going to-”  
  
“Not bombs,” Dan cut him off. “But for round three, it’s, um, partner rounds.”

“And Dan wants you to go with him,” Jimmy added, sipping something from a coffee mug casually.

Dan glared at Jimmy. Then he looked back at Phil, tilting his head up and making puppy dog eyes. “It’d be so fun,” he pleaded, almost childishly. “We could go in together, and-”

“No!” Phil pushed away from Dan, staring at him in shock. “What, you meant- no, Dan, I can’t, you know I can’t-”

“Come on Phil, it’d be so much fun! We could go to the training arena together and practice, and I could show you behind the scenes-”

“Dan, you can’t be serious! I refuse to kill-”

“Not kill, only injure,” Dan corrected. “They’re expecting it. They don’t mind it.”

“Dan!” Phil almost squeaked, his cheeks warming up.

Jimmy sipped his drink, eyes flickering between the two of them.

“Phil, I’m going, with you or without you. If I go without you, then I’m more likely to get paired with someone who doesn’t have control of their powers and get hurt, or lose!”

“Then pair with Mandy!”

“I don’t want to pair with Mandy, I want to pair with you!”

They both were quiet for a moment. “Phil… _Phil_ …” He walked over to Phil cautiously, wrapping his arms around Phil’s neck and jutting their chests against each other, looking up at him sweetly. Poor little Dan, he couldn’t go into the arena all by himself. He needed Phil to be there with him- to _protect_ him.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone,” Phil muttered.

“You don’t have to. I just need you to be there.” Dan nuzzled against Phil’s neck, pressing a lingering kiss to the exposed skin before pulling away slightly. “Phil… I need you.”

Phil looked away. “I… I’ll think about it. Meet me at camp later, I’m going to… go on a walk.”

“ _Pleeeaaasse_ Phil…”

“I’ll talk to you later.” Phil pulled away, hurrying out of the apartment.

“He’s going to say yes,” Jimmy said casually, shaking his head. “That was dirty pool Dan.”

“I have no idea when you’re talking about.”

Jimmy ran a hand through his hair exaggeratedly, biting his lip. “ _Phiwl_...”

Dan smiled, shoving him. “Whatever.”

“He’s not going to say no,” Jimmy repeated. “Just watch.”

——————

Emma walked slowly, keeping an eye out for any threats. She shivered, brushing some of the snow from her jacket before realizing and turning around.

Dan leaned against a tree casually, pressing a finger to his lips, gesturing for quiet. It wasn’t actually snowing, he’d just been playing a trick on her.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Emma said, keeping her voice low.

“Thanks. How are you? It feels like we haven’t talked in forever.”

“I’m fine,” Emma snapped. “You need to leave.”

“I like the scarf,” Dan said, his eyes tracing over the deep red scarf that encircles her neck. “I usually don’t like scarves much. I feel like someone could pull the ends and strangle me with them. I'm not the biggest fan of suffocation.”

“Good for you. What do you want?”

For a moment, Dan’s cocky demeanor dropped and he resembled a person, a real person, with dark circles and a nasty cut below his eyes, bruises and a nose that still hadn't healed. “Phil came back tonight, right?”

Emma glanced around, making sure no one was coming. There was a small noise, a crack somewhere to her right, and she turned to it. “Who's there?”

“It’s probably just a squirrel,” Dan lied.

“Is it your human friend?” Dan didn't answer, which was an answer in of itself. “Listen, he can't be around here. You shouldn't be here either."

“Just answer my question.” Dan's voice was quiet and methodical, his gaze intense. Under the light of the moon, he looked downright deadly.

He’d belonged to the camp, at one point, belonged among them. He was angry just like them, with the same loyalty that lead them to walk every godforsaken day to a new destination, looking for others like themselves in need of saving.

Emma set her jaw. “He’s here. And no, you can't see him. I don’t know what you did to him-"

“What I had to do.” Dan walked forwards quickly, his hands in his jacket pockets. It was strange that he wore a jacket, strange to think that even someone like him might get cold. Strange to think that someone like him might have the desire to be warm. “Things are changing in a big way Emma. I don’t know how much longer you guys will be safe here.”

The words made her take a small step back, her hand immediately going to rest on her stomach protectively. Dan's eyes caught the motion, then looked up and met hers. “Speaking of which, how soon is the wedding?”

There was some noise from the city, some sort of cheering that made Dan whip his head around and stare in its direction, looking paler than usual. Emma swallowed, forcing her hands back to her sides. “What's happening. What's the threat?”

Dan didn't look at her, still staring at the woods like he could see the city through them. “My past is catching up with me. Don’t let it catch up with you. Be ready for whatever needs to happen.” He looked back at her finally, and there was that human side again. Human wasn't the right word, it was never the right word when describing Dan. Perhaps, a more appropriate term would be mortal- alive, but only for a finite amount of time. “Phil's okay?”

“I think so.”

“Then I'll leave. Don’t tell anyone I was here, but be prepared.” Dan glanced around, then started trudging back into the woods, stuffing his hands back in his pockets. And like that, he was gone, as if his entire form had shifted into snow and dissolved into light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts?


	20. The Raven And The Hoover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The third round

Dan tried to let his shoulders relax, let his posture un-tense, but it was almost impossible.

Sleep the previous night hadn't worked out very well. The reality of the situation had caught up to him and left him leaning over his bed gasping for breath as he realized what he'd done.

Phil had agreed to fight with him in the arena, and as soon as he did Dan found himself wanting to plead with Phil to change his mind. Phil setting his jaw and looking at Dan with that intense look had made it real.

If anything, Dan should be trying to keep a low profile. The travelers Jimmy had told him about had gathered a crowd of followers who listened intently to their stories of frozen cities and frozen bodies. It was still being treated like a fairy tale, the type of story you only told at parties, but Dan knew that that couldn’t last long.

“Do you have my crowbar?” Dan asked as they strode to the arena, his body still tight.

“It’s in the launch room."

“The sharp one or the dull one?”

“Dull.”

“What weapon does Phil have?”

“Only one weapon per team is allowed.” Jimmy's voice was cool and monotone, like he was reading from an informative pamphlet. “I want you using it. I know you want to protect him, but he doesn't know how to use it like you do.”

The Colosseum was close enough that they could see the figure leaning up against it, his cloak around his shoulders but his hood down. Dan could feel his muscles clench. He _could not_ let anything happen to him.

“Morning,” Jimmy greeted cheerily, though the brightness didn't extend to his expression. “You ready for this?”

Phil didn't answer. His eyes were locked on Dan and when he was close enough Phil extended his hand, interlacing their fingers together and squeezing.

“Great,” Jimmy said unenthusiastically. “So my guess is that you'll probably end up fighting one on one with your opponents. You'll want to divide and conquer. My advice is to keep your vision wide. Don’t abandon each other.”

“I don’t think that will be a problem,” Phil replied dryly. “Us mutants like to stick together.”

Jimmy smacked his lips at the jab. “Yes, you're all very unified. Now let's go inside so you can get ready to fight some of your brothers-in-arms.”

“Jimmy,” Dan snapped before he could stop himself.

Jimmy squared his shoulders, staring Dan down. “ _What_.”  
  
They stared at each other for a few long moments, with Dan doing his best to keep from backing down from Jimmy's gaze.

“He’s not wrong,” Phil said quietly. “It is hypocritical. But if you're worried about me backing out of the fight Dan, then don’t be. I gave my word.”

Somehow, this just made things worse, because the entire walk down to the Colosseum Dan had been trying to find the words to tell Phil to back down. He would do it on his own; two against one wasn't a fair fight, but the arena wasn’t about being fair, it was about being strong. You had to be strong in your resolve, strong in your body, strong in your commitment, otherwise the arena would eat you alive and spit you back out the other end, and in those ways Dan was strong, and in those ways Phil was stubborn.

They went into the launch room and got ready in silence. Phil kept his cloak on, and Dan got dressed in one of his black shirts. Phil gently trailed his fingers along the exposed tendrils of black creeping up the back of Dan's neck, not saying anything.

“Jimmy… can you go outside just for a minute?”

Jimmy squared his shoulders again and Dan noticed for a brief moment how uncomfortable he looked before Jimmy agreed, turning and leaving.

Instantly Dan was clutching Phil, grabbing him by his cloak and yanking him in. Phil held Dan's face as Dan grabbed at the back of his clothes, squeezing and releasing the cloth in his hands. “Phil,” Dan exhaled, only realizing then how badly his hands were shaking. “I need you to trust me. I'm sorry for asking you to do this, I shouldn't-"

“It’ll be fine,” Phil murmured, one arm wrapping around Dan's back and squeezing him in a hug. “Fire and ice. We can handle this.”

 _I can't handle this._  
  
Dan pulled back, faking a smile for Phil, then quickly kissed him, still grasping onto his cloak for dear life. Then the door was opening and they were apart again, standing beside each other like nothing more than partners in the arena.

Other teams would likely be harshly formed alliances where the two paired up would hardly know each other or what each other is capable of. They would all be fighters, all be experienced in the arena, all have no qualms about hurting their opponents.

After they were announced the gate opened and they marched out, not touching. Dan held the crowbar comfortably in his left hand and he had to suppress the urge to disobey Jimmy and hand it over to Phil. It felt wrong that Phil should be disarmed, like Dan was walking him to the slaughter.

Their opponents walked out, two girls, one with brown hair and the other with dark blonde. They wore matching blue short sleeved shirts and both had their hair slicked back in matching ponytails.

“Hi,” Phil said, not quite as loud as he needed to be for the audience to hear. “I'm Phil, and this is Dan.”

The girls seemed to find this amusing. “I'm Carol, and this is Harmony,” the broader one with the brown hair said.

“Oh, those are nice names.”

“I was kidding.”

“They are the Hoover and the Raven,” Dan butted in, ignoring the urge to grab Phil's hand. “And this fight is going to be over sooner than I thought.” He said the last line louder, so the audience could hear. “Phil, do you want to take a break? I think I can wrap this up pretty quickly.”

The audience laughed, either because of Dan's gloating or because of his ignorance. In reality, the fact that they were girls meant very little, but Dan had to get the fight started at some point.

Raven grinned. “I guess we’ll just have to see.”

The entire arena stage floor began to shake. Dan and Phil both looked down at it, eyes going wide. “What the-"

The floor continued to shake as it pulled apart, a large ravine forming separating Phil from Dan. “Phil!”

The Hoover crouched across from Phil, baring her teeth. Neither of their opponents seemed surprised at all by the earthquake.

Phil stared at the Hoover, his hands half raised by his sides. “You have your crowbar?”

“Yeah, but-"  
  
“Then use it!”

Raven grinned at Dan from across from him. She slung a crowbar off of her back, holding it with too much familiarity. “You heard him.”

The crowd cheered in approval, and it took Dan a moment to realize they weren’t reacting to him. Across the ravine, Phil had lit his arms ablaze.

Raven snorted, trying to hold in laugh. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny, just… God, I’m sorry for you guys. This really isn’t a fair fight.”

Dan lunged for her, swinging his crowbar and trying to catch her off guard, but Raven caught the swing with her crowbar, twisting it around and using the momentum to yank Dan forwards. There was a harsh sting at the back of his knees and they buckled, causing Dan to collapse forwards. He rolled automatically, but the Raven didn’t seem interested in getting in too many easy strikes. She stood with a cocky grin on her face, waiting for Dan to get up. “Come on now. I don’t have all day.”

Dan crouched, trying to assess her. She was cocky, but not overly so. She stood leaning against her crowbar, leaving her mostly exposed, but nothing about the tensing of her muscles suggested she wasn’t ready to spring into action. No, ‘spring’ wasn’t the right word, her motions were too robotic for that. She didn’t move with adrenaline, she moved with mechanical comfort. Using the crowbar wasn’t her second nature; fighting was.

Dan rose and prepared to swing his crowbar down on her, not even trying to be discreet. He did and she lifted her crowbar with both hands, blocking it, and Dan kicked her backwards, taking pride in the grunt that escaped her. But she didn’t fall like he wanted her to, instead landed on her back and used the momentum to do a backwards roll, landing on her feet and springing forwards. He blocked her strike, parried another, and then heard the audience cheer and made the mistake of looking over. The Raven’s crowbar hit his shoulder and he found himself on the ground, the dry gravel digging into his hands and knees.

Across the ravine, Phil was also coached low to the ground, leaning on one knee. For some reason, he was soaking wet.

A pipe had forced its way up through the floor and the Hoover crouched by it, gesturing wildly around it like she was trying to aggressively encourage the pipe to do something more exciting.

Raven aimed a swing at his head and Dan launched himself forwards, tackling her and rolling, gritting his teeth as he gripped onto her. He stopped their rolling on top of her and was instantly met with a uppercut to the mouth. He lifted his leg and slammed his knee into her stomach and she made that grunting noise again.

Dan jumped up and before he knew what he was doing, launched himself across the ravine, landing in a roll and sliding in the mud. _Mud?_

He was on his feet in front of Phil right as another bolt of water shot out of the exposed pipe, the Hoover thrusting it right at them with the force of a fire hose. Dan didn’t have time to freeze it.

The water hit his chest with so much force he went flying backwards into Phil and they both went spiraling away, not being able to see or get up because of the water. For a brief moment, Dan wasn’t even able to breathe, and then the water shut off as quickly as it had turned on.

Dan blasted the Hoover with ice, not freezing her, but instead freezing the water around her. He formed a thin layer across the ground underneath the Raven and blasted her with some snow, just for good measure, then crawled over to Phil who was still laying on the ground, groaning. “Are you okay? Is anything broken, or hurting, how many fingers am I holding-”.

“I’m fine,” Phil managed, obviously still recovering. “Dan, you’re bleeding.”

Dan touched his face, feeling around until his fingers came back red from his mouth. He sucked in his lips and the metallic taste of blood finally registered. “Yeah, she punched me. I’m going to give you my crowbar, okay? Remember, aim for the head, in between the legs or the stomach-”  
  
“No, you have to use it. I’m fine.”  
  
“But Phil-”  
  
The earth shook underneath them and Dan stumbled onto Phil, feeling the Earth’s vibrations through him. Dan rolled off of him and snapped his arm to the side, hitting the crowbar midair. It skidding to the ground a few feet away, instead of hitting Phil in the head like it was intended.

Dan ran and jumped back over the ravine once he’d retrieved his crowbar, expecting to slide along smooth ice but instead meeting cracked ice from the minor earthquake.

The Raven was ready for it and they immediately launched back into fighting, sword fighting with the crowbars and pushing each other back and forth over the shattered ice. Dan’s soaking wet clothes clung to his skin and as his instincts kicked in to keep him alive he noticed little details, like the smell of the fight, the sweat and mud and his own blood. Raven swung and he ducked, Dan swiped his crowbar at her and she caught it in the hilt of her own one, shoving Dan back and going for his legs. He blocked it and the dance continued. Every defensive move was immediately followed by an offensive one until they were caught in a rhythm one-hundred beats a minute, and Dan wasn’t sure if he was one step ahead or one step behind, just that he was offbeat.

He hooked the curve of Raven’s crowbar in the curve of his own and twisted her weapon from her hands, thrusting it behind him. She chased after it and Dan turned back to Phil, only realizing then how long he’d had his back to him. Phil and the Hoover were caught in a wrestling match, rolling around in four inches of water. An invisible barrier left the water contained as they both took turns pinning the other person, clawing and taking turns submerging their opponent in the water.

A weight hit Dan’s back and they fell forwards. Dan managed to keep his footing as the cool metal pulled his neck back, and for a few extended moments, he and Phil were both suffocating at the same time.

Dan’s let go of his crowbar on reflex, clawing at the weapon choking him out. He thrashed wildly but she hung on until spots began to dance in front of his eyes, and only then did he lose balance and collapse forwards. There were a few seconds were he was completely incoherent, then Dan was squeezing his eyes closed and curling himself tighter in the fetal position as he was attacked. The kicks to his back made him curl his knuckles tighter, and Dan wasn’t quite sure how to breathe normally again. One kick hit his head and all sound cut off from that side, replaced by a muffled buzzing. Then the kicks stopped.

Dan lifted his head right as the shaking started again, so aggressive he let out a quiet cry of pain before he could stop himself. Phil and the Raven grappled over the single remaining crowbar as the Hoover leapt over the ravine and joined the fight, two on one.

Dan sat up and the buzzing became painful. He grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes shut but didn’t lay back down.

Eyes opened again and Dan was raising his hands. The snow caused some kind of a commotion, but Dan didn’t really know what it did exactly, just that Phil was now 10% safer.

Somehow he got to his feet, hands still raised as he willing more snow. He stumbled but ignored the pain, continuing forwards. The fog and buzzing lifted as Dan aimed a punch. He hit her, and was given an uppercut directly to the nose in return, disorienting everything again before his vision snapped back into focus, and _Ow. Fuck._

Dan wiped the blood away from his face and threw another punch. Off to his side, Phil was unarmed and The Raven swung the crowbar like a baseball bat. Phil managed to dodge one, but that meant nothing. Dan threw himself towards them, taking the impact of a half-swing and using his whole body to throw another punch.

“Dan!”

Dan grabbed Phil and together they leapt back over the crack in the ground.

The two girls were _too damn quick._ The Raven was right behind them and Dan was reeling back from another punch before they’d even fully caught their balance. There was a horrible choking sound and Dan processed the Raven choking out Phil, choking out _fucking flame boy, his fucking flame boy_ , and no, _that wouldn’t fucking do._

She shrieked as the frost spread over her hands and Dan caught her in a headlock, Phil’s gasp for air not unnoticed by him. “I can’t have you hurting him,” he muttered.

When she stopped struggling Dan let go, letting her slide to the ground, gasping for breath like a fish out of water. Dan turned around and cursed himself for forgetting the other opponent.

Phil was too far away. Water rushed from the exposed pipe, creating a huge wave that floated and swirled midair, all potential energy ready to crash down on Phil. It was _so much water_ , enough to break his ribs when it slammed down on him and wash him over the edge into the crack in the earth. Dan raised his hands, not necessarily to freeze it, just to do something.

 

But he was too slow.

 

_Too damn slow._

 

The wave crashed down on Phil, and Dan was vaguely aware of a horrible choking sound escaping his lips.

 

It was as if a portal opened at the top of the arena and sucked the water upwards, and the water hit Phil and he stumbled but then it turned thinner and whiter and lighter and was sucked upwards, and _holy fuck_ , it was no longer water, it was _steam_.

Dan was running and running and he ran right past the Hoover and to Phil, the heat in the air getting so intense it physically hurt. It physically hurt _him_ , the Ice Prince, who’d been lit on fire before with only discomfort. He grabbed Phil like he still needed saving, like he hadn’t just _fucking vaporized about a million gallons of water into thin air_. They stumbled away and Dan was vaguely aware of shooting out more ice and sow at their remaining opponent, using his body to shield Phil from any incoming attacks- but there weren’t any.

Dan only turned his back to his opponents when he was sure they weren’t getting back up, and then he was clutching onto Phil, cupping his face as his heart beat like a hummingbird's wings. “You’re bleeding, oh baby, does anything hurt? How do you feel, there’s blood on your cheeks, baby, _Phil_ , sweetie-”

“I’m not bleeding.” Phil was gripping onto Dan’s hands, not pushing them away, but keeping them in place. “Dan, Dan- I’m not bleeding, _you are_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha 'The Hoover' like the dam hahahahaha
> 
>  
> 
> I’m laughing and I’m having trouble stopping anyways i hope you had lots of fun with this chapter, as per usual, please comment with your thoughts, especially after such a fun chapter :)


	21. The Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to publish Monday’s update a bit early, enjoy!

Phil sat wedged in the corner of the cot, leaning partially against the wall and partially against the metal railing. Dan lay on his lap, his mocha eyes framed by dark brown lashes fluttering slightly, a stupid smile on his face. His nose was definitely fucked up, and even though he'd already cleaned most of the blood from his face, the dark stuff still could be found at the bottom of his nose and at the split in his lips. One ear was still ringing, and Dan didn't know if it was bleeding too or not. He couldn't keep up with the injuries. He was vaguely aware of his split knuckles, the stiffness in his chest making each breath harder, the pain in his legs and arms as bruises began to form, the warm, wet feeling at the back of his throat. Phil had scratches too, but only minor ones. It was a mixture of that and the hands gently stroking his hair that made Dan smile his soft, blissful smile.

“The nurse is on their way,” Phil reassured. His skin was sticky with sweat, his damp fringe pushed back in a bit of a quiff, but it was as if the dirt didn't touch him. Phil's biggest struggle at the moment was his exhaustion, and for that Dan grinned like an idiot.

“Okay,” Dan said quietly. His throat was sore and his voice came out more impacted than he expected. He looked like a mess, but a beautiful one. An artist was given his skin for a canvas and painted him in shades of pink and red and purple and off-white and brown, dark brown, mocha brown like his eyes and hair and eyelashes that fluttered gently, pink and red and purple mouth smiling like getting thoroughly beat up was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

\------------------

 

**One Week Later**

 

The night sky could be seen from the apartment windows, a navy blue expanse that went on into oblivion. Phil was showering, and when he got out he'd climb into bed with Dan and stay the night. They had to abide by Jimmy’s open door policy, but Dan wasn't sure he minded all that much.

Jimmy was in the kitchen, cleaning up judging by the sounds. Sure, Jimmy could be demanding and strict, but Dan could hardly remember what life had been without him. He remembered when they first met and Jimmy was still looking for a big break in the arena. Dan remembered the mess of his hair, the aura of wine that lingered around him, the hungry look in his eyes. Even then, Dan had seen the ambition Jimmy tried hiding behind his wine glass, the startling determination. He supposed things had shifted subtly since Phil came back into the picture, but even so Dan didn't doubt Jimmy in the slightest. _Best friends_ , he thought, still staring out at the night sky. His face remained inexpressive, but Dan could still feel the blush spread. Remainders of childhood thoughts fluttered around his mind like moths, whispered reminders that that sort of companionship wasn't meant for Dan.

He inhaled slowly, and exhaled some of those pesky doubts. He didn't have time for them: he was allowed companionship, he was allowed happiness, he was allowed warmth.

Dan allowed himself a moment to imagine a future with his friends, a future where he didn't have to be The Ice Prince anymore. He hadn't had the title for more than a few years, but he realized he may have been playing the character for much longer.

The shower turned off and Dan shifted on his feet. He had to be careful. Rumors were circling of the destroyed cities, the frosty deaths. It wouldn't be long before people realized the mass destruction may not have been a natural occurrence, and then heads would start turning towards the city’s resident ice mutant. In fact, Dan suspected some heads may have already started turning.

He lifted up his right wrist and stared at the black tape. Alexandria had accepted him for what he was without trying to make him hide it, something no place had ever given him the chance to do before.

The city danced with candle and torchlight. The Colosseum glowed under the moonlight, blissfully vacant. People walked the brick streets, some in normal clothes, others in togas, and for as long as he lived Dan doubted he'd ever forget the scent of fresh air and grapes intermingling together. Dan closed his eyes, savoring it.

He heard Phil leave the room, but stayed in place, eyes closed and breathing quiet. Two arms wrapped around his waist and a chin rested on his shoulder, nuzzling at his neck. Phil’s skin was warm, maybe a bit more than a normal person, but perfect for Dan, who tilted his head into it, eyes still blissfully closed.

One of Phil's hands rubbed Dan's side gently and he winced, carefully repositioning Phil's hand to where he wasn't bruised. Dan had fought in the fourth round that morning- the death or dismemberment round. He was supposed to have two fights that day, but for the first one his opponent was nowhere to be found.

When he’d found out what the fourth round would be, he breathed a sigh of relief that Mandy had been eliminated in the third round, and though she was a bit worse for wear and now brandished a cast around her wrist, her pride was the biggest casualty.

The fifth round would be in two days. He would fight the other winner of the fourth round for the laurel wreaths, the crown of the winner. Everything he’d fought so hard for was within reach, yet all he could think about were Phil’s hands holding him closely.

Dan opened his eyes, looking back into the city and saying a silent _thank you._


	22. The Opponent

  
“I'll be in the stands,” Phil promised. “And if anything goes wrong, the entire arena will go up in flames.”

Dan laughed, holding on to Phil's arms. “Good. But don't worry, everything will be fine. It’ll be a quick fight.”

“Like hell it will,” Jimmy muttered behind him, reading some papers. “This is the grand finale. The loser is the first one to collapse from exhaustion.”

“Then I should be good,” Dan reassured, still holding Phil. “I can use my powers for a while before even getting tired. I'll be fine.”

“I trust you,” Phil muttered. “Stay safe.”

“Always.”

They leaned in and shared an innocent, almost chaste kiss. It was almost sickly sweet, and Dan pushed closer, trying to deepen it, but after a moment Phil pulled back and Dan forced himself to return to reality. “Okay. Yeah, okay, I’ll see you after.”

“I’ll see you after.”

“Great,” Jimmy interrupted, and they pulled apart, Phil quickly pecking Dan once more before scurrying off. “I need to go return these, but I need you to go retrieve your weapon. They have it in B5.”

“Sharpened or dull?”

“Sharpened. It’s the last round, they’ll want it to be as bloody as possible. I'll meet you in the launch room, B5 is down that way and left, then there should be signs.”

Jimmy waved him off and was marching in the other direction before Dan could ask him anything. Dan just followed his instructions, walking through the torchlit halls.

It took longer than he would have liked to find B5, but when he finally found it someone was there to give him his crowbar. He was walking back through the hallways when he heard the voices, and likely would have kept going if he hadn't heard what came next. “-leading the mutants out. The three of them were going to be put in death matches before too long, but there have been others too that have just disappeared. We’re thinking there must be a breach in the wall.”

Dan crept forwards, not completely sure what he was hearing, just knowing it was important.

“What did you say he looked like?”

“I didn't see him, it was some other guys. But they said it was a tall guy with curly brown hair. And he was a mutant, he had the armband.”

Dan realized too late that they were walking in his direction, and turned and began running right as the guards came around the corner. “Hey!”

He didn't turn around to see them, but he could hear them sprinting after him, calling out and trying to get him to stop. “Stop! Somebody stop that mutant!”

But there wasn't anyone else in the hallways. Dan darted into one hallway, then turned again, trying to get lost in the Colosseum's intestines. It wasn't hard to lose the guards- they hadn't been training and fighting for the past… year? Dan didn't even remember anymore.

He slowed to a walk once he was sure that he'd lost them, but then Dan was left trying to find his way back to the launch room. His heart thumped in his ears. Dan definitely hadn't been smuggling mutants out of the town- so who had?

The pieces clicked together as he walked, so that by the time he found the launch room, they formed the perfect picture, and Dan wasn't sure if he should go and fight or just start running.

Jimmy opened the door a moment before Dan did and dragged him in. “Dan, the match is about to start! Where were you?”

“PJ’s been smuggling mutants out of the town,” Dan blurted out. “I don’t know how, or where to, but he’s been doing it. That's why that one mutant never showed up to the fourth round! Jimmy, that's the secret, PJs been-”

Outside the crowd cheered, louder than Dan had ever heard them from the launch room. The announcement was almost drowned out by the cheering, so that Dan could only hear the last part: “-The Ice Prince vs The Terror!”

“Dan, stop,” Jimmy ordered, more serious than Dan had ever seen him. “The fight first, then we can talk about that later. Listen, this one ends when one of you physically can't go on. There are three steps to losing- are you listening? Three steps: the black moment, where it looks like it’s over but you get back up, the stumble, where you drag yourself back up by the skin of your teeth, and the final blow, where… well, you know. Even if you lose, lose well, so that when the fights start back up again you are remembered as a fighter, you hear me?”

Dan nodded, but truthfully, all he heard were the crowd screaming and calling out for their fighters.

The gate opened and before Dan knew what was going on, he was in the arena, his crowbar loose in his sweaty grip. His opponent, The Terror, was dressed in black and deep purple robes that exposed his arms. He was about Dan's size, but clearly stronger. And in his hands, he brandished a pure black baseball bat.

Dan found himself looking around at the audience desperately, hardly able to take it all in. He’d _never_ seen the Colosseum so full. It was packed to the brim, not a single free spot. The audience cheered madly.

The Terror didn't seem very interested in the audience. Instead, his eyes were locked on Dan.

They walked to the center and stopped a few meters away from each other. Dan was already sweaty and disoriented, and the fight hadn't even started yet. The audience cheered as they came together, but Dan gestured for them to be quiet, which they did far too eagerly for his liking. “Hey!” He called out to his opponent. “What's your power?”

It was worth asking, at least. The guy grinned. “I'm a strong reader.”

Dan didn't have time to consider if he was telling the truth or not before the guy was swinging his baseball bat and just like that, he was in front of Dan. Dan automatically rose his crowbar to block the swing, then dove to the side at the last moment, so close that he could feel the air rush by his hair. Dan rolled and landed on his feet, but The Terror wasn't fazed. Dan’s mind screamed in the defensive, dodging, rolling, doing everything he could to avoid being hit with the bat.

Finally, he swung and Dan jumped back to dodge it, but he’d underestimated the swing. The metal bat hit his hip and sent Dan sprawling onto the ground, his crowbar clutched tightly as he log rolled. Dan stopped just before the bat could slam down right next to his head, and then The Terror was lifting it and slamming it down again, barely grazing his ear as Dan wriggled to the side. Finally, his mind kicked into the ‘fight’ of fight or flight and Dan kicked out his opponent’s legs, giving him just enough time to scramble to his feet before his opponent was up and swinging again.

Dan supposed the audience must have been loving it, though he was too focused in on the fight to even notice their cheering. He ducked a high swing and swung his crowbar, hitting The Terror’s leg with enough force to bruise but not enough to topple him.

Dan’s mind kicked into overdrive, dodging and swinging and diving, all while trying to come up with something that even vaguely resembled a strategy. He still didn’t know what his opponent’s power was, unless it was actually reading, which Dan was hopeful for, but not optimistic. That meant he had a secret weapon. Dan _hated_ secret weapons.

And he wasn’t quite fond of his stage name either. The Ice Prince was too obvious; it gave him away. Perhaps it was time for a rebrand.

The Terror tried to swing for Dan’s legs as Dan made a desperate move, throwing his crowbar backwards and launching himself onto his opponent like a koala. They toppled backwards, the momentum of the swing sending them rolling so The Terror was on top of him.

Dan panted for breath, the arena spinning around him. “I’m Dan,” he muttered as the world slowly came in to focus.

“Cole.”

“Nice to meet you.” Dan brought his leg up and hooked it around Cole’s shoulder, shoving him backwards as Dan sprang forwards, pinning him with one hand and punching with the other. He almost felt bad, for a moment, before feeling two hands wrap around his throat.

Dan’s breathing was only cut off for a moment before Cole was yelping and yanking his hands away, the skin a dangerous shade of purple. Dan stumbled backwards, his instincts sending him onto his feet and back to his weapon, but apparently Cole had the same instincts as his weapon was back in hand in moments, and they were back to the dance.

“No offense, but I’m not losing,” Cole threatened, making another attack.

Dan barely evaded it, countering, but Cole caught the crook of the crowbar with his bat and used the momentum to make Dan trip forwards, barely staying on his feet. “No offense, but neither am I.”

Dan forced snow to form on the ground behind The Terror, willing it to swirl and rise up. Cole looked behind him a moment too long and Dan kicked him backwards, willing the ice to travel across his skin. Dan’s mind was a million places at once, and the ice reflected that, trying desperately to cling to his opponent’s skin but failing.

It was only moments until he was back on his feet and Dan was back to dodging the strikes. He’d dodge a strike, and The Terror would just step forwards and swing again. He caught the offswing, and his opponent would just let his weapon be torn from his hands and spin 180 degrees, elbowing Dan hard enough to snap his head back painfully.

He was in shock momentarily, but that meant nothing to his opponent, who kicked his knees with enough force to send Dan spiraling onto his ass. A boot landed hard on his stomach and the breath was forcefully yanked from his lungs.

A hand dug itself in Dan’s hair and pulled him to a sitting position painfully, grabbing on to the collar of Dan’s shirt and yanking it off of him. Spots danced in Dan’s vision, and in the fraction of the second he had to inhale again, he wondered if The Terror was named not after fear, but humiliation.

Dan was kicked forwards, his bare chest getting road rash from the rocks and dirt. There was a whooshing sound and then Dan was recoiling inwards, a sharp pain spreading across his chest. The explanation came in short bursts- _sting sharp ow_ and _but baseball bats aren’t sharp._

A boot connected with Dan’s jaw and his head flopped over, his mouth tasting like blood in a painfully familiar way. He looked up, and there was The Terror, bringing down Dan’s own crowbar on him.

So Dan rolled, which worked, to some capacity. He got to his knees as Cole barreled forwards and blasted him with snow. It gave him an extra three second advantage, at the max, and Dan scrambled forwards, grabbing the baseball bat and throwing it as far away as physically possible.

The Terror didn’t wait. He didn’t stop to catch his breath, or wipe his dirty hands on his pants, or even take his time standing, even though they’d been fighting for minutes already. He lumbered for Dan, who sent a bolt of ice at his leg, causing him to cry out and stumble. Another blast of ice to his arm, which turned a sickly purple until the cold, and his opponent let out another grunt.

For almost a full minute, Dan made some leeway, hitting him with his crowbar and ice and dodging his attacks. Then Dan got sloppy and the crowbar was yanked from his grip and thrown backwards.

Dan ran for it without even giving himself permission. Just as his crowbar was back in his hands, the audience screamed with delight and Dan just had time to turn his head as the baseball bat hit his side full force. And he screamed.

Dan found himself lying on the ground, the only thing between him and the ground his bare arms. He spat onto the dirt- he spat _blood_ onto the dirt- and realized with a start that he couldn’t get up. His chest, for lack of better words, had collapsed in on itself. He rolled over, even that tiny movement making his rib cage explode in pain, and Dan heard a pathetic cry escape his throat.

Seeing became almost as difficult as breathing for the following seconds as his eyes blurred. Someone was standing on his chest, crushing it with their full body weight, but when Dan’s eyes refocused no one was there, yet the pain remained.

His opponent limped towards him- so at least Dan had gotten in at least one good blow- but as Dan trying to pull himself up, he cried out in pain, falling back down. He was covered in a cold sweat, and when Dan tried to wipe it from his face, his hand came back smeared red.

The Terror was almost on top of him, raising his bat above his head when Dan called out “Why are you called The Terror? What are your powers?”

He stopped, which was more than Dan had hoped for, but he didn’t untense. The crowd seemed to be holding its breath- the huge crowd, everyone in the city who could squeeze in, plus Phil, and Mandy, and maybe others. “My power is endurance. And I’m called that because just like fear, I offer no relief.”

He brought his bat down on Dan and in the brief moment before it hit him, Dan did something incredibly desperate. Mandy was on his mind after all, which was likely what inspired the dome of ice that forms above him. The baseball bat hit and Dan tucked into the fetal position as large chunks of ice shattered around him.

The Terror may have had superhuman endurance, but apparently he wasn’t immune to shock. Dan used his moment of fear to his advantage, thrusting his hands up and willing a blistering intense cold upon him.

His opponent crumpled to his knees, his breathing ragged and painful. Dan tried to pull himself to his feet again, only to have his chest flare up in agony once more, sending him onto his back and making his vision dance.

The crowd loved it. They loved it loud enough that Dan heard it through the ringing in his ears, the blood in his mouth, and the shuddering of his poor, crushed chest. And that was what reminded Dan where he was: the final round, what he and Jimmy had been training for for months. Phil had told him to stay safe, he remembered, and he’d promised that he would. Dan supposed that meant his word wasn’t good for much, but in his defense, he had _tried_.

It was the reminder that Phil was in the audience that got Dan to roll over and get on his hands and knees. He coughed up more blood, either from his broken chest or from when The Terror kicked him, though he wasn’t sure which one he was hoping for. Then Dan crawled over to his opponent, whose body was shaking so badly Dan wasn’t sure if he was shivering or convulsing. His skin was tinted blue with a few patches of purple and black that made wince in sympathy. Frostbite was never fun.

Dan’s hearing seemed to officially be down for the count, but as a new wave of adrenaline crashed over him he could feel his vision sharpening until he could see the individual rocks on the ground.

He crawled forwards, and with some impossible strength, sat up, his chest screaming in agony. His hearing buzzed like the static of a broken television, and he placed one hand on his opponent’s chest, holding him down with a feather touch.

He’d won, Dan realized a moment later when he saw the audience standing to cheer. He stopped all of the cold he’d been sending his opponent, not even realizing he was still sending it, and focused on continuing to breathe as people raced onto the stage to retrieve them.

Dan opened his eyes and he was on a cot in the launch room. He couldn’t hear anything as people rushed around him, freezing cloths touching his skin as they rapidly cleaned him up. He was helped to sit up, and Dan supposed he cried out in pain, though he couldn’t hear it. A thick brace of some sort was wrapped around his torso and fastened, holding his chest together in a way that made it both harder and easier to breathe. A new shirt was put on him, his hair was brushed out of his eyes, and someone stood him up.

Dan could stand again, he found, the tightly wrapped brace making it easier. He heard a mumble of ‘broken ribs’, which made him not smile, but relax, because maybe his hearing wasn’t gone after all. Yet the buzzing remained.

Dan was walked back out to the arena where people were standing in rows on the dirt floor, looking up to the crowd. No, not people- mutants. His opponents and their opponents, everyone who had fought and lost.

Dan was lead up to a podium and was surprised by how easy it was to stand. His strength felt as if it had returned, which didn’t make sense, but he wasn’t about to argue.

He didn’t hear it, but he could feel his name being announced, and a pretty girl came up and placed a laurel wreath on his head, pinching and twisting it into place so that it wouldn’t fall out.

Dan supposed there was applause. He searched through the audience, only to find Phil in the crowd of mutants on the arena floor. Jimmy walked up on the podium with Dan and took his hand, raising it above their heads to more applause, none of which Dan could actually hear.

PJ waded through the crowd, tapping Phil on the shoulder and pointing somewhere behind them, and Dan was reminded of the earlier events, specifically PJ’s side gig of smuggling mutants.

Somewhere in the crowd, Dan saw two guards wading towards him. Then, on the other side, a commotion of people arguing and pointing at him. Dan couldn’t hear them, but he felt as though he could read their lips: _The Ice Prince, The Ice Prince!_ and Dan was reminded of the foreigners who’d been searching for whoever had destroyed those pesky cities.

Dan pulled his hand away from Jimmy’s, signing to Phil as rapidly as he could: _time to go._ PJ and Phil both nodded vigorously, and behind them, the walls of the arena exploded into multi colored confetti.

  
———————-

Adrenaline was a powerful thing, Dan supposed, as he and half a dozen other mutants bolted for the newly created hole in the wall. He was vaguely aware of what was going on, but only vaguely: Jimmy’s arm was around his waist as they ran, everyone was most likely shouting in confusion, and Dan had just destroyed the city’s biggest landmark. Well, PJ destroyed it, but Dan couldn’t help feeling guilty too.

They sprinted into the forest and down the hill to where Dan knew the camp was, and PJ shot past them, leaping over bushes and fallen trees like a lanky gazelle. Dan wasn’t quite so agile, and before he knew it he was surrounded by people either supporting him or protecting him.

Dan was vaguely aware of Jimmy on his right and Phil on his left. Then, of Emma and Seth running with their packs on their backs, and others running around them. Ah yes, the camp. It was probably rude of them to ambush it and lead a few hundred angry humans directly to it, but honestly, Dan was just doing his best and trying to not pass out, so it was unfair to ask more of him.

But the humans chasing them were a problem. Dan slowed down and Phil and Jimmy tried to help him keep going but Dan swatted them away. He turned fully, staring back at the chaos that was following them and frowning. Then he willed a hurricane of ice and snow to hit them and send them back, and smiled pleasantly when it worked. Then, as a final touch, he willed a thick wall of pure ice to rise up, cutting them off from the humans. It worked, and Dan was too busy patting himself on the back to keep running, and instead opted for passing out.


	23. Phil

When Dan woke up, there was no one in the tent. It felt oddly familiar sleeping in a tent, like he was back in his childhood home. His body was very carefully cushioned and arranged, though he still felt stiff and his chest felt weighed down.

Dan recited the events of his last consciousness mentally: the fight, the win, and then running away as a variety of different people he’d pissed off chased him.

Dan reached up with his hand and immediately cringed at the pain. He gritted his teeth and shakily moved his hand up to his hair. Surely enough, the laurel crown was still there.

Dan let his hand flop back down on the bed, letting out a huff of air. He stayed silent as the tent flap was unzipped and Phil crawled in, half way inside when he looked up, saw Dan awake, and froze.

“Hey,” Dan said weakly, feeling himself smile.

Phil flushed pink, climbing all the way inside the tent until he was hovering over Dan. Dan reached his hands up and Phil gently pushed his hands under Dan's head and shoulders, lifting him gently into a kiss.

\-----------

Seven mutants had run away from the arena with them, not including Dan, Phil, PJ and Mandy. Everyone else had gone ahead to the new destination, and Phil had promised to bring Dan and Jimmy along when Dan was well enough to travel.

They’d made camp under the cover of a few trees, and Dan had apparently been out for around a day and a half. Neither of them said it, but by the looks they gave him Dan was able to infer the worry that they must have dealt with while he was out.

When Dan had managed to get out of the tent and to his feet again, Jimmy greeted him with open arms, hugging him tightly. Dan’s bandaged chest ached, but he didn't mind all that much. His body was stiff, but after about an hour he announced that he was ready to keep going. Phil objected, but Jimmy caught Dan’s gaze and agreed with him. Dan had been plenty sore from fights in the arena before; he could handle it.

Walking through the woods was another thing that felt strangely normal, while abnormal at the same time. Phil was at his side, like he’d been for all those years, but then so was Jimmy.

They walked for hours without end. Phil wouldn't tell Dan where they were going, claiming he had to see it for himself.

They stopped for a rest break by a river at one point and Dan sat and stared into the water. The boy who stared back was filthy and discolored, bruises scattering across his skin. A laurel crown circled his head, looking far too natural for comfort, and his skin was patchy, but his eyes were bright.

When they got to their destination, Dan almost missed it. Phil pulled him back and showed him a hidden path that looked like nothing more than an overgrown hiking trail. They walked for another few minutes before reaching a set of open wooden doors.

The realization was the last puzzle piece that Dan was missing. He stood taller, squaring his shoulder before marching into the Hidden City, the others trailing behind him. Everyone slowly stopped what they were doing to watch them- to watch /him/- walk in.

Some of the people had black taped wrists, Dan noticed. Some had nasty looking injuries, bruises and cuts and one woman glared at him over a nose that had been partially destroyed by frostbite. Dan chose to look forwards, staying silent as he walked.

PJ met him in the middle of the road, walking with the same posture and crossing his arms. “So. What do you think?”

Dan allowed himself to look around, willing his palms to stop sweating. “Are they all mutants?”

PJ smiled slightly, tilting his head. “Yes, we are."

“I'll show him to a room,” a new, but familiar voice said behind Dan. He turned and observed the boy that was there- lanky and scrawny with short blonde hair and glasses. He looked all too familiar, yet Dan couldn't quite put his finger on it. “We fought,” the boy explained. “You were supposed to kill me. You didn't.”

“Probably a fluke,” Dan admitted cockily. “What's your name?”

“I'm Sam, but you probably only ever heard my stage name: The Hailer.”

Dan snorted, immediately remembering. “You dropped hail the size of rice on me until I eventually blasted you with snow.” He tilted his head to the side, smirking. “I don't remember the glasses."

“I wore contacts,” Sam explained, “And my hair was also darker then. I dyed it blonde so I'd be harder to recognize. Not all of us are fine with walking around with a bounty on our heads.”

Dan grinned. “Guess not. As much as I'd love to continue catching up, I've been walking for the past five hours and I believe my ribs are broken. You were saying about a room?”

\-----------  
  
As soon as the door to the room closed Dan stumbled forwards, almost falling if Phil hadn't caught him. “I'm fine… I'm good,” Dan promised, letting Phil lead him over to the single bed and sit him down. “You heal pretty quickly,” Phil noted, carefully examining the bruises on Dan's face while Dan looked on affectionately.

“Yeah. I think it’s because I'm constantly icing myself. I'm basically a walking ice pack,” Dan joked, not bothered as Phil continued to examine him. His eyes darted down to Phil's lips, and Dan's hands moved to touch Phil's hips almost subconsciously.

“I'm worried about you,” Phil admitted. “When we got you settled in the tent, we checked to make sure there weren't any obvious injuries, but I never got to actually see if you were okay.”

Dan tugged his lower lip in between his teeth, only partially listening to Phil. “Mm-hmm.”

“How do you feel? Are you still bleeding anywhere?”

“God, I hope not,” Dan joked, his voice lower than usual. “After that walk? If I'm still bleeding, I'm probably going to die, innit?” He leaned in, but Phil dodged his advance obliviously.

“Don’t joke about that. How's your hearing?”

“It was ringing for a while, but it’s fine now. Hey Phil?”

“That's not good. There's dried blood on your ear.”

“There’s dried blood everywhere. Phil, do you know what I want to do?”

Phil touched Dan's ear softly, letting his hand fall to Dan's shoulder. “You should sleep.”

“You should shut up and kiss me,” Dan suggested, smiling even wider when Phil blinked, taken aback. He moved closer to Phil, trying to catch him in a kiss, but Phil kept skittishly moving away until Dan huffed, pouting. “Come on, I'm injured. I need kisses.”

“You need sleep,” Phil protested. “And maybe bandaids.”

Dan groaned, trying again to kiss Phil but he just moved away again, giggling a bit as Dan got more frustrated. “I'm /fine/.”

“I thought you just said you were injured?”

“I'm cured,” Dan announced. “Let's make out.”

He leaned in again and Phil stopped him by putting a hand on Dan's chest, accidentally making him grunt in pain. “Oh Dan, I'm so—"

“‘ts fine. Kiss it better.”

“Dan—”

Dan pushed Phil down on the bed and crawled on top of him, his sore arms trembling slightly. At the last moment Phil leaned up, catching him in the kiss but it didn't last long enough. “Dan. You're shaking."

“/You’re/ shaking.”

“Dan, are you okay?” Phil sat up, forcing Dan to sit back, his hands still shaking badly. “I'm going to go get someone, I shouldn't have kissed you, you're hurt! I—”

Dan rolled his eyes, pulling off his shirt like it was in his way. “Here, see? My ribs are cracked, probably broken, and I have a cut on my stomach. I have a bad bruise here,” he pointed to his darkened jaw, “and my hands hurt to flex. And I have bruises everywhere else, a cut on my cheek from like a week ago, and everything else is sore. Oh, and my nose isn't having that great of a day.” This didn't seem to make Phil relax. “There you go, there's the medical report. Nothing too dangerous, not really, and nothing that hurts so much that I can only think about it. Now, will you come here and comfort me?”

Phil looked hesitant. “I could rub your back.”

“Yeah, or you could kiss me. I need a distraction,” he admitted.

Phil inched closer, looking a bit calmer now that he knew the situation. “Am I a distraction?”

Dan tugged him forwards and kissed him hungrily, his hands on either side of Phil's face as he tried to pull him closer. “The best one,” he promised in between kisses. One of Dan's arms looped around his neck, pulling him back with him. “You distract me from… fighting… you distract me from… doing my job…. You distract me from sleeping…” With each new word Dan seamlessly dragged Phil closer until Phil was practically climbing on the bed on top of him, their legs becoming tangled together. “I think of you more than I probably ought to. Those six months. The nights after, when you were back but I was still sleeping alone, dammit Phil… can't let that happen again. Sometimes you'd be gone for a long time, and I'd try and convince myself I didn't need you… then I just end up falling back into your arms when I see you again. It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? You make me sick, Phil. I'm _sick_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment and let me know what you think!


	24. Sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Only one chapter left!

 

The Hidden City was more like a refugee camp.

It had been abandoned by its previous owners with the small, primitive buildings still intact. According to Phil, they had found it during the time when Dan was still missing. They’d been walking past it and Nora, the little Asian girl with the fancy vision, was the one to spot it. Apparently her x-ray vision wasn't confined to just seeing inside bodies anymore. Whatever the case was, they’d explored it, laid down roots, and when they found the gold mine of mutants in Alexandria, PJ started smuggling them out.

Seth stayed at the Hidden City, keeping things in line and watching over some of the younger mutants. Dan had never realized they were gone because he’d only visited the camp at night, and the same tents were set up as always. The only difference was that they were empty.

———————————-

Dan woke up in pain, which was to be expected. Phil lay up against his side, his arm resting on Dan's chest in what was probably a sweet, affectionate gesture, but all Dan could think was how sore his chest was, how labored each breath was. It was then that he made the executive decision not to break his ribs again.

Dan carefully removed Phil's arm, forcing himself to sit up with his legs dangling off the end of the bed, grunting in pain. Phil shifted, but didn't wake up.

Dan wrapped a blanket around his shoulders and walked outside, closing the door behind him. The sun wasn’t fully up yet, but the city was still alive with people getting breakfast and meeting around small campfires set up in the streets. Dan looked around until he spotted a familiar face and found himself plopping down next to her.

“That was a pretty impressive wall,” Mandy grumbled, her tone a bit too dark for it to be a compliment.

Dan watched her, waiting for some sort of move. “Hopefully it'll hold them off for a little while."

“I'm sure they've already broken through it,” Mandy disagreed, her tone lightening. “Damn Romans.”

“Roman wannabes,” Jimmy corrected, sitting down next to Dan. “They could try as much as they want, but they'll never be quite like Rome was.”

Jimmy looked sick, if Dan was being honest, and not the kind of sick Dan was, sick sick. He grinned lopsidedly, his eyes hollow.

“You feeling alright?”

A shaky laugh. “I should be asking you that. No, I'll be fine. Just… withdrawal."

Dan realized the other thing that was different from Jimmy: he smelled different. Stale, but there was no longer a lingering scent of grapes.

Dan thought back to all the days and nights spent in the apartment, with Jimmy holding a glass of wine, or a coffee mug of something suspicious. It had never really hit Dan as an addiction. “Oh.”

“I'm fine,” Jimmy repeated, a little more intensely. “What about you? Your chest holding up?”

“Somewhat. What about you Mandy? Surviving?”

“In theory.”

Jimmy leaned in, more concerned. “How are the stitches holding up?”

“Wait, stitches?”

Mandy sent a glare Jimmy’s way, then turned to Dan. “I had a minor complication from one of my fights and had to have minor surgery.”

“I wouldn't call that minor surgery,” Jimmy added.

“Can you stop helping? Fine, bigger surgery. They had to remove part of my liver.”

Dan leaned back, trying to look at Mandy with fresh eyes. She didn't look much different from the last time he’d seen her. She was slightly more battered looking, and her entire body slouched forwards, but that was to be expected from someone who’d fought in the arena.

Mandy rolled her eyes. “It’ll grow back.”

PJ stepped over the log Jimmy was sitting on, sitting next to him as everyone stared at him wordlessly. “Did you guys grab some food?”

“Not yet,” Dan replied tensely. PJ’s expression was grim as he tried to ignore the looks the others were giving him.

“I gave you a tour of the Colosseum,” Jimmy reflected. “I didn’t expect it to come in handy.”

“I’m sure most of everyone here sincerely appreciates that.” PJ’s eyes flickered over to Dan and Mandy and he squared his shoulders almost uncomfortably. “I did what I had to.”

Dan started to object, but he could feel his chest tighten, his muscles aching like _please, let us heal for one more day before getting in another fight._ He exhaled slowly, and shook his head just barely. _Later_.

Mandy changed the subject, talking about how they were currently purifying the water, but Dan wasn't listening. He stared into the small campfire, trying to make sense of this new reality when he felt a hand on his back and winced unintentionally.

“Morning,” Phil murmured. Dan leaned back and latched on to his shirt collar immediately, pulling him down into a kiss.

“Mmm. Morning.” Dan released him, grinning impishly at the way Phil’s cheeks went pink.

“Did you eat yet?”

“Not yet. Mind grabbing me something?”

Phil nodded and walked off to get the food. When Dan turned back around, everyone was looking a bit uncomfortable. Mandy rolled her eyes and PJ gave Dan a surprised look, like _when did that happen?_ Jimmy didn’t look at him at all.

——————-

“So, you ran off with PJ,” Dan narrated, keeping alert for any signs of danger. “I suppose that was after our fight in the arena?”

“Yeah.” Sam was lanky and uncoordinated, and Dan did his best not to cringe as he stomped his way through the foliage, snapping twigs and crushing leaves underfoot. “My handler was pissed off that I didn’t die. I was going to be sent into another death round to be finished off when PJ approached me and started talking to me, then offered to smuggle me out.”

“Nice of him,” Dan replied dryly. Something moved out of the corner of his eye and he tensed, but it was just a squirrel. “How do you like the Hidden City?”

“Well, it’s better than dying. It’s not as advanced as Alexandria, and everyone’s a bit of an asshole, but I’ve made a few friends. One friend. An acquaintance, really.”

“Yeah? What’s their name?”

“Her name’s Andy.”

“What are her powers?”

Sam scratched the back of his head, looking a little bashful. “I don't actually know.”

\--------------

They were accepted into the Hidden City rather begrudgingly, and by the end of the first day it was clear that it could only be a temporary rest spot.

“The way I see it, we have a few more days to pack our things and get out of here before PJ kicks us out,” Dan whispered to Mandy at the campfire that night.

Mandy leaned over, staring straight ahead and keeping her voice low. “Sooner than you'd think. There's a council meeting tomorrow morning.”

Dan grimaced. “If they know what they want, why bother waiting?”

“My guess is to give you a little extra time to heal. You and PJ may be at odds right now, but he does have a conscience, and you still used to be friends.”

The use of the words ‘used to be friends’ made Dan's chest ache as his suspicions were confirmed that things had changed considerably since he left camp all those months ago. PJ had officially written him off.

“What about the others?” Dan managed. “Do you think I'll be getting any support from the rest of the council?”

“It will just be PJ, Emma, Seth, Phil, and Helen, and I suspect Phil won't be allowed to vote because he’s too involved in the situation.”

“What about you?”

Mandy scowled, the shadows surrounding her face growing darker with the flickering light of the campfire. “I was dismissed from the council after they found out about just what I was doing in Alexandria.”

“Oh.”

“It’s fine,” she snapped. “I'm not attached to them in the same way you are. I know how to move on.”

The words felt aimed at him in some way, like Mandy was almost angry at him for reappearing after those six months, even if he hadn't wanted to be found. Dan remembered the memories Mandy had shared with him through her forcefields of her looking at her old camp, slaughtered, and her old girlfriend, injured. She turned around and just kept walking.

Dan decided not to press her. “Are there any of the new mutants on the council? Sam maybe?”

“Sam? Oh, you mean that guy who’s been following you around like a lost puppy these last two days? No, none of the new mutants are on the council.”

“Too new?”

“PJ doesn't trust them.” Mandy still didn't look at him. She was wearing her hooded cloak with the hood up, and Dan realized that she hadn't taken the hood off for as long as he’d seen her in The Hidden City, and her body was still slouched forwards. Mandy could hide as much as she wanted, but Dan could see right through the act. She was in pain and it was all too familiar. He never hid his pain under a cloak, but how different was a cloak from bed sheets swirling around his stiff, bloodied body? An image flashed in front of Dan's eyes of a dark bed in a dark room in the middle of the afternoon, pale, freezing hands gripping onto the covers and hollow, dark eyes half opened but hardly processing anything but soreness and pain.

Mandy was looking at him now, so Dan forced himself back to reality. He could see her almost ask the question, and he felt himself immediately prepare the answer. _I'm fine_.

But she didn't ask it. Instead, she turned back to the fire, leaning her head on his shoulder. “PJ’s scared of them. They're violent and competitive, they're not cut out for the type of dull domesticity PJ wants from them. He's worried about their effect on the younger mutants.”

At this point, Dan should have been used to the cold, but when the edge of Mandy’s words sent a chill down his spine he had to keep from physically shivering. “I haven't seen Jordan yet,” he admitted. “She’s not on the council?”

Mandy offered him a small smile. “It’s not your fault.”

“I'm fine,” Dan snapped, and Mandy smiled sadly like _there it is._ “Is she here?”

Mandy nodded smally. “She’s better than the last time you saw her. Much quieter, but sometimes she's normal, for a few minutes.”

It wasn't what Dan had wanted to hear, but it was better than what he'd expected to hear. “Anything else I should know about?”

Mandy tensed as her eyes caught something in the distance, and her expression darkened. “That.”

A few campfires away Dan could see some figures standing and talking loudly, shoving around someone else as their voices became progressively angrier. Dan's first instinct was _Phil_ , and he was on his feet, running over.

Then there was someone running behind him and Dan turned back to see… Phil?

They got closer and everything snapped into place. It didn't make Dan run any slower.

“Back off,” he barked, more aggressively than he'd intended.

The group of guys stopped what they were doing a little hesitantly, looking at each other. Then one of the more confident guys turned to Dan, puffing his chest out. “Or what? You'll turn us into popsicles?”

A few of them laughed, but it sounded forced. Dan didn't break eye contact. “Yes. I'll freeze you to the ground and let you stay there until the hypothermia takes over and you die, slowly and painfully, until you gladly enter the gates of hell because of how damn cold you are. Or, if you're lucky, I won't leave any air holes, and you'll die quickly from suffocation. Need I go on?”

The rest of the guys in the group looked ready to leave, but the leader stood his ground. He looked over to one of the others, gesturing to the boy with the light, messy hair who stood in the middle of the circle, and said “grab him.”

Jimmy struggled, but he was no match against the trained gladiators. One of them grabbed him and within seconds had him twisted in a headlock.

“You don’t scare me,” the leader said, looking back at Dan. “And he doesn't belong here. This is a Cytes-free zone.”

“This is whatever the fuck I say it is,” Dan snarled. “Do you know who I am?”

“I know you're a pussy,” the leader insisted, “and a weakling. You think you're a big shot because you've fought in the arena a few times? I've been fighting for three years.”

“Yet I'm the one wearing the laurels,” Dan snarled, grinning maliciously. “So I'm telling you now- let Jimmy go, and don't bother him again; otherwise, I'll show you just why you should be afraid.”

The leader was about to retaliate when the man holding Jimmy in a chokehold made a choked noise and let go. Jimmy looked at him in confusion, then over at Dan. No, not at Dan. Next to him.

Phil stood with a steely expression on his face, his hands raised waist high. “Let's go, Dan. Come on, Jimmy.”


	25. Dan.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter

Jimmy wasn't allowed in the council meeting.

In attendance were PJ, Seth, Emma and Helen as the council and Dan, Phil and Mandy in attendance. Sam was also in attendance as the moderator, though Dan figured that his job was more to prevent arguments than break up any real fights. He imagined Mandy and PJ attacking each other and Sam wailing, “Why can't we all just get along?” while pelting them with small chunks of hail.

The meeting was to decide what to do with Dan, Phil, and Jimmy, which was why it only made sense that Jimmy be a part of it. Alas, he wasn't allowed, not because he was irrelevant, or disruptive, but because he was human.

“We have rules here that need to be followed,” PJ explained almost patronizingly. “I vote that, as Dan has not followed those rules- specifically the ones pertaining to the assault and murder of other mutants, indifference to the opinion of the council, and defending the safety of the camp- I vote that he is removed from the camp. All in favor-"

“Wait,” Mandy argued, stopping PJ’s monotone declaration. “He hasn't even been found guilty-"

“Not officially, but does anyone disagree with these statements?” PJ looked around, and no one spoke up. “Dan?”

Phil raised his hand subconsciously before quickly lowering it. “What does ‘indifference to the council’ mean? He was never indifferent?”

“He ran away,” PJ argued, “without respect to the council, as well as making a judgement call to kill Eli. Without the respect of the council. Anyone else?”

Dan's lips parted as he tried to find something- anything- to say in his defense. But that was the problem- he _was_ guilty.

“All in favor of removing him from the camp?” Seth and Emma exchanged a look, then both raised their hands. PJ and Helen did too, though they didn't have to consider it. “Motion passed. I would also vote that he has to take… _James_ with him.”

Helen leaned over to Sam. “Who is James?”

“Um, that's Jimmy. The Cyte.”

“Ohh.”

“All in favor?”

Four hands, again. The brace wrapped around Dan’s chest was too loose- someone needed to tighten it, pull it taut so then maybe he could find his breath. Someone needed to holster his lungs back into place and then push on them so he could remember to exhale.

He wished he was more surprised. He wish it hurt less.

“With all due respect-" Sam started, but immediately choked on his words when he saw the glare PJ was sending his way. He coughed, looking down and continuing bashfully. “With all due respect, I don’t see how… erm, Dan, is a danger to the camp. I think he could be helpful, defend it, or make ice for drinks or something…” he glanced up and let his words trail off, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

PJ’s expression seemed to soften, if only a little. “I appreciate your suggestion, but the decision has already been made. Dan, you have until tonight to leave.”

“That’s not-" Phil started, but found himself stopping too. The decision had been made, and none of them were budging.

\-------------

“How long until the wedding?” Dan asked, climbing over the log to sit beside Emma. He wanted to hate her, but couldn't bring himself to.

She glanced at him, letting her eyes linger. “We were wed a few weeks ago.”

“Oh.”

“It was a small event. No real reason for it, and it’s not like it changes much. We just wanted to do it."

Dan nodded like he understood. Part of him did, a small part, maybe. “And how long have you known that you're pregnant?”

Emma pursed her lips, looking down at her stomach, which looked no larger than normal. A hand strayed to it, settling over it protectively, and Dan realized the pursed lips were an attempt at evading a smile. “Not long. I wouldn't even know, if Nora hadn't told me.”

Dan tried to imagine the little girl breaking the news. The last time he’d seen her, she’d been shy and looked downright tiny, always hiding behind Jordan's legs, _and there was that pain again._ One nice thing about leaving, Dan supposed, was that it would give the ache in his chest time to heal- actually heal. “Congratulations.”

“We’re not telling anyone yet,” Emma managed, not looking at him. “I don’t know how you even figured it out.”

Dan didn't tell her it was because of the arena. He’d been trained in finding his opponents weaknesses and exploiting them. He’d stepped toward Emma that night in the woods, startling her, and watched her hand immediately go up to protect her stomach.

Dan’s mind wandered, wondering what other people's weaknesses might be. Sam’s was easy, his was his own ability, his own cowardice that made it difficult for him to even meet PJ’s eyes. Jimmy's weakness was his inability to be real with people. He taught Dan how to be fake with sponsors from experience. And Phil…

Dan thought to the last time he tried to exploit Phil: when he wanted him to throw out his morals and fight with Dan in the arena. It had been easy to convince him, all Dan had needed to do was come up to him, leaning into him and kissing him, telling him how he needed Phil’s protection…

Dan swallowed- _hard_. “I just have a sense with these things,” he muttered. “By the way, I really do like the scarf.”

\----------

PJ had brought Dan out into the woods to talk to him— or try to kill him, whichever. At this point Dan wasn’t very worried about that. The laurel crown was still tangled in his hair, reminded anyone and everyone who saw it just what he was capable of.

PJ stopped when they were far enough away that no one from the camp would hear them talk. Then he crossed his arms, tilting his chin. “We need to talk arrangements for your departure. I will allow you and Jimmy to each take a pack.”

“And Phil,” Dan added. “He needs one too.”  
  
“Phil’s not coming with you, I need him at the camp.”

Dan snorted. “Yeah, okay, cute. But you’re wrong. Phil’s going with me, whether you like it or not.”

"Dan, you can’t do that!" PJ commanded. "Phil has to stay with us. He’s one of the most powerful mutants we have, we need him."

Dan crossed his arms. "He doesn’t like using his powers PJ, you know that."

"Maybe not, but he’s able to. And he’ll use his powers if needed." PJs face was covered in shadows, his jaw set. "He used his powers when you asked him to."

"That was different-"

"Than using them to protect children?"

"PJ, it’s not your choice! He owes nothing to you!"

PJ uncrossed his arms, stepping closer. "Are you serious? I took him in! If it weren’t for me, he would be dead right now, abandoned in the wild or chased down with pitchforks! Dan, he owes me his life!"

"And he’s given it to you!" Dan yelled, his voice going hoarse. "He worked for you in the camp for years, protecting people and practically raising some of those kids. And he’s saved your life more than once, you know that." He lowered his eyes, shoulders going limp. "This can’t be your decision, PJ."

"I need to protect those kids," PJ pleaded. "The only people in this camp I trust are Jordan, Helen, Emma, and Seth. And I trust the kids too, but they’re still young. They don’t know what they might have to do to keep the others safe, but we do."

"But you didn’t want to keep us safe," Dan argued, "You wanted to put Eli on trial even though you’d seen-"

"I wanted to consider the option," PJ interrupted. "But you didn’t let us." He exhaled, clenching and unclenching his fists in an effort to calm down. "Look. Jordan is sick. She’s better, but she’s still sick, and I have to take care of her. Emma is a strong fighter, but she wants to be a mom, Dan! You expect her to protect us pregnant?" Dan looked at his feet, but PJ continued. "And Seth has a good heart, but he’s mute and his powers are useless in a fight."

"And what about Mandy?"

PJ looked up, his eyes finally meeting Dan’s. "I trust her. But I don’t know if I should. She’s too much like you for me to trust."

"Thanks," Dan said, the word bitter in his mouth. "But they’re not the only ones at camp who can fight. You have all of those mutants from the arena now, and I can tell you firsthand that they are more than ready to do what’s needed."

"That’s not my worry." PJ shuffled on his feet, straightened. "I’m worried about a revolt. They’re different from us Dan. They’re brash, and violent, and don’t know how to contain their powers."

"Oh don’t worry, I’m sure you can teach them since you're so good at it."

"I need people I can trust."

"And I’m guessing I’m not on that list?"

"You know where you stand." PJ stared Dan down, his posture firm and fatherly, and for the first time Dan wondered how old he really was. Surely he couldn’t be much older than him, yet still PJ acted like Dan was an unruly teenager he’d been stuck to deal with. "Listen. I can’t let Phil go."

"I’m sorry PJ." Dan had said a lot of lies over the past year, far more than he probably should have. But for once, he told the untarnished truth. "But that’s not your choice."

  
——————

“Your hair is disgusting,” Mandy commented, smiling as if it was the easiest thing in the world. She dug her fingers in Dan’s curls, pulling them out and wiping them on her pants. “Nasty. When was the last time you washed it?”

Dan was smiling too, a fifty percent smile for his fifty percent mind and fifty percent presence. “Before the final fight. If I wash it I’ll have to take the laurels out.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

He shrugged. “Maybe.” A few moments passed in a comfortable silence before Dan allowed himself to speak again. “I'd like you to come with us. I don’t think you intend to stay here.”

“I don’t,” Mandy agreed, though there was some sadness behind it. “But I won't be going with you guys.”

Dan looked at her, waiting for the punchline. “You're going off on your own?”

A small smile twitched into existence on Mandy's face and she ducked, trying to hide it. “No. I'm going back to Alexandria. You may have won the laurels this time, but the next round is mine.”

“But Mandy, your liver-"

“But Dan, your chest!” Mandy mocked. “Have you looked in a mirror recently? You’re a mess. I only need a little time to heal, and then I’ll be back out there.”

The idea of Mandy going off on her own to the arena made him want to clutch his head in pain. “But Mandy… you’ll be all alone.”

“I know how to be alone,” Mandy retaliated softly. “And actually, I won’t be completely alone. Nora is also going to the city to work in the arena as a medic, you know how much they could use her powers.”

She was right, but still… “No way PJ will be okay with that.”

“Which is why we’re not asking.”

Dan stared at Mandy, trying to judge her seriousness by her eyes. Her gaze didn’t waver. Dan glanced around, making sure no one was watching, then looked back at Mandy through reddened eyes. “I’m going to miss you. So much Mandy, you don’t even know…”

She pulled him in for a hug, which probably hurt both of them in equal amounts. “Me too. Maybe I’ll come and find you, when there’s a break. Try not to stray too far.”

Dan snorted, trying to wipe his eyes without it being too obvious. “Yeah, I’ll see. I don’t know where we’ll go, if we’ll even find a place that will take us in. But… I don’t know. There has to be someplace, you know? A nice place that we can settle down in, and Phil and I can…” he trailed off, not allowing himself to be so hopeful out loud.

Mandy looked on with sympathy. “I hope you find that place. And I can’t fight forever. Maybe, when I come looking for you, I could settle down in this perfect place too. I’m rooting for you Dan, I really am.”

Dan felt a tear trail down his cheek and he quickly brushed it away, sniffling and trying to pretend he wasn’t a mess. “I love you Mandy. Just… know that, okay? Take care of yourself.”  
  
Mandy stepped in, wrapping Dan in another hug, and he could hear her sniffling quietly too. “You too, Dan.”

Dan almost didn’t want to let her pull away. But then he had to, and she smiled, giving him the tiniest of waves and left into the foliage, Nora likely already ahead, waiting for her.

———————

Phil and Jimmy already had packs on, and when Dan walked back over to them Jimmy was doing his best to get comfortable with the heavy pack. “I have a confession to make: I’ve never gone camping before.”

Phil rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face. “This is going to be lots of fun.”

Dan shouldered his pack, opening his mouth to speak when a voice called out behind them: “Wait!”

Dan turned to see Sam and a girl running towards them, Sam’s legs almost too lanky and his glasses sliding down on his nose. “Wait! We’re coming too!”

Sam stopped awkwardly, almost sliding. “If that’s okay with you,” he said to Dan quickly, so formally Dan wondered if he was going to bow.

Dan looked at the others and shrugged. “Sure, I don’t see why not. And you are-”  
  
“Andy,” the girl answered quickly, dropping her bag to shake Dan’s hand. She looked around Sam’s age, so on the younger side, and was shorter than all of them, including Jimmy. Her black hair was short and styled in two messy buns. “Sam talks about you a lot.”  
  
“That’s great… I think. You guys go ahead, I’ll be right there.” He waved them on, looking at Phil and hoping he could read his expression. Phil exhaled, then turned and followed the others.

“Looks like a good time,” a voice said behind him.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun. I can’t wait to be sleeping on the ground again.”

“Lucky you.”

Dan turned around, forcing himself to offer a small smile to PJ, which he didn't return. Dan dropped it. “I'm not going to apologize, if that's what you want.”

“Who says I want anything?” PJ paused, not looking at Dan. “Jordan asked for you. You never saw her.”

Dan was still wearing the chest brace under his shirt. Sometimes he was reminded of it- like right now, when he could feel his heart throbbing underneath it. He sucked in a breath, immediately going into arena mode- no trembling, no weakness, he had to strategize, he had to make a plan of attack. But he wasn't in the arena, and he wasn't going to attack anyone. “Yeah? I didn't know she was seeing people."

“A lot better than seeing other things, don't you think?” The way PJ said it reminded Dan that he wasn’t the only one in pain. “I think she still sees inside people’s heads, searching right away for the painful stuff, but she doesn’t say it out loud anymore. Which is good. She scared the others.”

“Yeah? What’d she say about you?”

Dan had never, not in his entire life of bullies and revenge and fighting, seen someone smile as darkly as PJ did at that moment.

“You'd better get going. But before you leave-" PJ stepped aside from the wall, picking up a long thin cloth package and handing it to Dan. “It’s wrapped up so I don't dissolve it,” he explained. Then PJ’s eyes darted around, before moving forwards and embracing Dan in a hug. “Be careful out there. We’ve lost too many mutants already. Do what you need to.”

They pulled apart and neither of them were smiling, though when Dan's eyes met PJ’s it was clear they'd met a sort of understanding.

“I'll see you, PJ,” Dan said in as even a tone as he could manage. Then he turned around and left the camp for the second time, except this time he was walking, not running. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned...


	26. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue
> 
> (Make sure to read the notes at the end of the chapter!!!)

Dan had been avoiding bathing on purpose, but now he sat by the river, gently untangling the laurel crown from his hair. It was still good enough to keep-- he’d certainly earned it. But instead, when Dan managed to completely untangle it, he turned it over in his hands for a few moments before dropping it into the river, watching it floating away in the gentle current.

Dan was leaning over the river to watch it, so it was no surprise that he looked down and someone vaguely familiar reflected back at him. The boy had dark, curly hair, and a face stained with blues, reds and purples. Where those colors were absent the skin was white. _Sick_ , he thought automatically, then quickly corrected himself. _Healing_.

When Dan had left the Hidden City, he'd walked about five paces before leaning against a tree and opening the package. He stared at it for a few moments, then let the cloth fall away and wrapped his hands around the hilt of the crowbar. It was heavy enough that Dan imagined how much power would be behind a swing, then stepped away from the tree and tried out a swing. He closed his eyes, imagining someone standing in front of him. The curved end of the bar hit their head and he could feel the impact reverberate through the bar as they fell backwards onto the ground, dead.

Dan opened his eyes, staring at the dead leaves on the ground. The crowbar was very familiar; it felt very natural; he imagined strapping it to his back like he had the first time he ran away.

Dan jogged to catch up with the others. They were waiting for him, and upon seeing him Phil seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “You good?”

Dan breathed in, then out, the brace restricting his chest movement. He gave Phil a smile that was small, but real. “Something like that. Let's go?”

So they started walking once more, not knowing where exactly to, just knowing what they were hoping to find. Dan intertwined his fingers with Phil’s, who squeezed his hand reassuringly.

That's when Dan managed to smile for real, a stupid, incredibly proud smile that he did his best to hide, but no one was looking anyways, so soon he allowed himself to beam.

Dan, creating thin sheets of ice in his bedroom; Dan, waking up on freezing cold textbook pages and hearing the radio talk about a new vaccine to cure an incurable disease; Dan, angry, and alone; Dan testing out his powers and finding out just how strong they really were; Dan, with his gaze as cold as the city he’d just frozen; Dan, with the little mutants running around him and shrieking, and then a hand on his shoulder, a _hand_ on _his_ shoulder, telling him the kids were just playing; Dan, with black creeping up his skin and panic creeping up his throat; Dan, tackling and kissing Phil in the water; Dan, gasping for a breath that wasn’t there as Phil collapsed besides him; Dan, forming a tornado of ice and Dan, swinging his crowbar and Dan, sprinting away from the camp like his life depended on it, and Dan fighting and Dan kissing Jimmy who complained about the cold, and Dan, and the bed in the dark room where he laid and /bled/, and Dan kissing Phil like his life depended on it because _sometimes it did._ And Dan, trying to shoot an arrow, and Dan protecting Phil, and Dan protecting his own broken body, and Dan running again, and Dan exploring the Hidden City and Dan saying goodbye to Mandy, and Dan saying goodbye to PJ, carrying the package like he was carrying his own ashes.

Dan traced back through the memories as they walked, his smile having shifted in to the very face of survival. But the story, up until this point at least, ended well.

Dan, walking out of the city; Dan, staring at the crowbar; Dan, swinging it, staring at the leaves on the ground like they were just one more person he’d hurt; and Dan, walking away, walking away from the crowbar lodged deep in the bark of the tree and finding his new campmates and his hand finding Phil’s, and when Phil asked him if he was okay, he smiled and said “something like that,” which means almost, which means _yes_ and _soon_ ,mand Dan, and Dan, and Dan, and Dan wasn't lying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait! Don’t go! 
> 
> There will be a third book!!!
> 
> Similarly to the way this sequel was announced, I am publishing the third book now and I ask that you subscribe to it so that you are notified when I start posting. I will be taking a break for a few weeks, but then I plan to return to a posting schedule similar to the one for this book. 
> 
> I don’t know how much I’ve said this, but I want to give a million thanks to my amazing beta @insectbah for all the hard work they have put into this book. You guys really have no idea. This story is around 50k words and they chose to work with me to edit it for weeks and weeks, fully knowing that they wouldn’t get paid and defineitly wouldn’t get even close to the credit they deserve. Thank you :) I couldn’t have done it without you. 
> 
> Now, before you leave, I have a few quick questions so I can have some referances for writing the next book: 
> 
> 1) What was your favorite scene/type of scene in this story? If you can’t remember specific moments, tell me the type of scene, ex. Fighting, emotional, fluffy Phan, etc.
> 
> 2) What types of things interest you about this book? Are you more interested in the different character interactions, or the world building?
> 
> 3) Who is your favorite/least favorite/most underrated character? Anyone you want to see more of in the next book?
> 
> Please please answer the questions, if you’ve read this far and you like this story then this is the best way you can show me! 
> 
> Overall, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! (Now go and subscribe to the third book! Go, go, go!!)


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